Predator Instincts
by Luxor Nautalis
Summary: Bella returns to Forks after being away for nearly eight months. What will happen when she finds out that her home town is now swarming with Vampires, the creatures she loathes more than anything else? Why, she falls in love with one, of coarse! Bellice!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer;** I do not own the Twilight Saga, their characters, their plot, theme or names, and I do not claim ownership to them. However, I DO claim ownership to my writing, so please don't steal =)

**Authors Note: **This is my first Twilight fic, and I have to say, I never imagined I would find myself writing one...Don't get me wrong, I love the books as much as the next girl (except for the face that Edward generally pisses me off) and, like most Twilight fans, I can't _stand_ the movies. But, I absolutely adore Alice, and my girlfriend got me hooked on the Bella x Alice pair, so I got inspired to write this.

I hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review and let me know how I'm doing!

**Rating; **M, for content introduced later

**Pair; **Bella x Alice (eventual)

Ugh, Forks. Some shit little town in Washington. Fucking Washington! It's practically the cold-ass-rain-and-snow capital of the world. Little known fact about Bella Swan; I _hate _the cold, rain and snow. And Charlie just _had _to go and pick a town that seems to have one or the other, most of the time two of the three, all year round.

Bastard.

Truthfully, though, the small town had grown on me over the years. Sure, I hated the cold, rain and snow, but Forks was the only place that could even be considered home. It was where my friends and family were. I had visited enough over the years to get used to the weather to some degree, so now all I had to do was accept the fact that I would be stuck there.

I sighed, hefting the suit case higher even as I made my way across the airport toward the exit gate. Thank God it was over, the endless parade of hopping from one plane to another. The endless parade of pathetic, sweaty and all around disgusting human beings. If the flight from Scotland to New York hadn't been brutal enough, then the one from New York to Port Angeles was brutal.

I absolutely hated planes, and it wasn't because I have height issues. It was simply because of the people. For instance, from Scotland to New York, I was sandwiched between an overweight, extremely sweaty balding older man - who smelled like rotting roadkill and body odor, by the way - and a over-active middle aged woman who spent the first six hours of the flight yapping my ear off about her son, who was an 'accomplished Doctor who would just adore a girl like me' - her exact words - and the other four hours of the flight asleep with her head on my shoulder, complete with snores and drool.

Fuck. My. Life.

To top it all off, the in flight movie was Encino Man, and my flight attendant - no, Stewardess...whatever the fuck is politically correct these days - spent the entire flight practically pouring peanuts and Coke down my throat while flirting incessantly and flaunting her too-large breasts in my face. I mean, Double D? Really? Pretty excessive, don't you think? I mean, I'm gay as a rainbow, but I like my breasts on the smaller side...just big enough to fit in my hand. More than that is just a waste. Doesn't mean I didn't 'let her convince me' to join the mile high club..._again_...and, just between you and me, I'm disgusted with myself.

Then, if that wasn't bad enough, the flight from New York to Port Angeles was pretty horrid itself. Thankfully, my flight attendant - steward - was a very nice gentleman that was, perhaps, gayer than me (didn't know that was possible...), so ridiculous amounts of flirting and breast-flaunting wasn't an issue, but everything else kinda sucked. The business man to my left wouldn't stop puking his guts up, the kid behind me wouldn't stop kicking my seat, and - Oh Joy! - another snorer on my left!

So, imagine just how happy I am to finally be where I'm supposed to be - more or less . At least I'm on solid ground with no promise of any more flight extensions. And so, all that brings me to where I am now.

I hefted my suitcase higher, only pretending to struggle under it's mammoth weight. People, tourists and businessmen alike, milled around me, occasionally bumping into me or my suitcase, and I only barely managed to suppress my growls. I endlessly sought the crowds, looking for the one face I actually wanted to see, the man I hadn't seen in months.

The only difference between this visit and all the last was that I was coming to stay this time. At least for a few years. I was tired of wandering the world, moving from target to target with only a few weeks respite every six or seven months. I missed my family. It was time for me to come home.

It was only after I forced myself past a particularly distracted man, dressed in a sharp, tailored suite and yapping away on his phone - oblivious to the world - that I saw the face I wanted to see...along with one I didn't expect, but was just as happy to see nonetheless. There they were, my two boys, standing side by side and looking bored as ever.

Charlie was dressed to the nines in his Forks Police uniform, complete with his badge, gun, the works. His hair was a bit shorter than the last time I'd seen it and his beard/mustache combo was a bit thicker, but he looked the same as he had the last time I had seen him. His eyes darted to and fro, ever the cop looking for 'suspicious characters', and I couldn't help but smile at just how predictable he was.

The second figure, towering over the first, was the one to spot me, however, and a large smile stretching across his handsome face. "Bells!" He exclaimed happily, closing the distance between us in a few bounds only to sweep me into his arms.

Suitcase forgotten, I laughed loud and happily for the first time in months, throwing my arms around his neck even as his twined around my waist. He easily hefted me from the ground and twirled me around, oblivious of the looks we were receiving from the strangers around us, and I got the feeling that, even if he had seen the looks, he wouldn't have cared.

"Jake!" I declared just as happily in his ear, "Put me down before I barf!" How embarrassing would that be...especially after totally dissing that guy sitting next to me on the plane. Talk about irony, right?

The monster of a man obliged, setting me gently on the ground. Jake looked just like his typical self. Well, aside from the face that he was actually wearing a shirt for once. But his self-cut-off jean shorts were exactly the same. He was still his gargantuan self, towering over me by at least a foot and, as usual, I had to crane my neck upward just to look at him. His torso was just as solid as it had been since his shift, his biceps just as big, his abs and pecks just as defined, his shoulders just as broad and his tan just as deep. I could barely see his tribal tattoo peeking out from under the hem of his sleeve, and his jet black hair was still cropped just as short. Same old Jake, hadn't changed a bit.

Truthfully, I didn't know why I expected my boys to change to much in the time I was gone, but seeing them look just as I left them was, oddly, comforting. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Charlie approach, a wide smile on his slightly weathered face as his head shook from side to side.

"Charlie," I smiled fondly, warmth just as evident in my voice as I stepped out of Jake's arms in favor of his, wrapping my own around his neck and pulling him close. I ignored the stiff ridge of his overly-starched collar and simply reveled in the love that we radiated but rarely spoke of out loud.

"Hey Mom," he whispered softly in my ear, low enough that no human passing by could hear. My smile widened and I tightened my grip on his neck. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too, baby," I whispered just as softly, pulling from his embrace so I could easier study him. A few random grey hairs decorated both his hair and his beard. Barely noticeable laugh lines framed his lips and worry lines furrowed his forehead. His brown eyes, just like my own, sparkled with love and joy.

I cupped one stubbly cheek in the palm of my hand, my thumb brushing his cheekbone. "You haven't aged a day, baby boy," I complimented, the sting of tears coming unbidden to my eyes. Even thought I had seen him barely eight months ago, I had still missed him like crazy. He was, after all, my son.

"Coming from the Immortal," he grumbled under his breath, his tone gruff even thought I could hear the teasing undertones.

"Oh hush. Don't make me ground you," I warned, poking him in the chest with a stern, motherly look on my face, one that I had mastered over the years. He chuckled softly, once more shaking his head.

"It's been years since you've grounded me."

"Yes, this is true, but I've told you time and time again...You're never too old to bend over my knee," I teased with a wink. He only stuck out his tongue in a childish fashion.

Jake chuckled from the side lines, shaking his head at our playful antics. "So, Bells, how did the trip go?" I could hear the underlying question in his tone, and I heaved a sigh. The question, however, helped to quickly dispel my good mood.

"Not as well as I planned. I lost the trail...again," I said dejectedly, the thought of the bastard I had been tracking for so many years slipping through my fingers _once _again spoiling my relatively good mood.

"How did he get away this time?" Charlie asked, watching my reaction carefully.

"Same way as always. His mate and her stupid gift." I practically growled the words, gritting my teeth reflexively.

"Don't worry, Bells. You'll get him. I'm sure of it," Jake offered helpfully and, any other time, his encouragement would have risen my spirits, but my frustration concerning my failure this time around was too high for even my best friend's magical power of being able to loosen me up and lighten my mood.

After all, could you really blame me? This was the fifth time I had lost the bastard's trail, and I had been so _fucking _close. I was so sure I had him this time, so sure that this would finally be the trip to end my manhunt.

I was wrong. And I _hated _being wrong.

"It will happen, Bells." Charlie was careful to call me by my first name in public, at least when he was speaking above a whisper, and I smiled very softly at him. "It's only a matter of time before he slips us, and when he does, I know you'll finally give him everything he deserves."

"Yeah, Charlie, I know. I'm just...tired. I just want the bastard dead so I can finally start living my life. I've missed out on so much already..." My son once more pulled me into his embrace at the despondency in my tone, and I leaned into the comfort of his arms.

"Stop blaming yourself, Mom. I've done pretty well for myself, and I understand why you have to do this. I always have. You need to stop beating yourself up for 'missing out on my childhood'," My son chastised, "I've had an amazing life, and it's all because I have an amazing mother."

Charlie wasn't good about speaking his feelings; he was like me in that way. But whenever he did, I was never unsurprised by how he seemed to have a knack about knowing what to say.

At his words, though, I couldn't help but smile, burying my face in his chest in an effort to hide the tears welling up in my eyes. I never had stopped blaming myself for not being around as much as I should have when Charlie was growing up, but he never stopped letting me know that he understood, and he didn't blame me. He might not blame me, but I would always blame myself. And I was determined not to let it happen again.

"Okay, can you two get the mushy shit out of the way already so we can get going?" Jake commented from the side, a smirk teasing his lips as he glanced between the two of us.

I smiled as we pulled apart, Charlie shooting a very convincing glare at the Quileute. One thing I could say about Charlie...he might look like his father, but he got his glare from me. "Yeah, lets get out of here...I'm so fucking sick of airports," I grumbled as I eyed the swarm of disgusting people around me. Both Jake and Charlie looked at me with slight shock, and I raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

Jake, unable to restrain himself, busted out laughing, one large, meaty hand placed over his stomach as his body shuddered. "Bells, you're always yelling at me and Charlie for cussing, and then you go and drop the f-bomb?" Charlie joined in on his laughter, and I hid my amusement with years and years of practice.

"Yeah, well I'm allowed to cuss. I've lived longer than both of you combined. Now lets get out of here," I commanded, leaving no room for argument in my voice. "Jake, get my bag. It hardly looks natural for a little thing like me to be carrying around a bag like that, now does it?" Jake groaned and grumbled, but picked up the bag nonetheless, a scowl masking his ruggishly handsome features even as a smirk decorated mine.

I turned, exuding confidence as I strolled toward where I knew the exit was, my boys following faithfully behind me. It was good to be home.

**Parting Words;** So, there it is! I hope you enjoyed it, and, don't worry, all those unexplained questions will be answered in good time ;D Please don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you thought! Would you like to see more...?


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer;** Leland is an original character, therefore I do claim ownership to her. However, I do not own Twilight, blah blah blah...

The soft hum of the cruiser's engine was comforting, comforting enough to lull Jake to sleep. His obnoxious snores, radiating from the back seat, weren't enough to break me from my spell of contentment as I gazed out the window, letting the endless greenery hypnotize me as my mind replayed the conversations I'd had during the long trip from Port Angeles with my boys about everything I had missed while I was in Scotland.

Charlie was still Chief of Police, protecting and serving, solving mediocre crimes like robberies and handing out speeding tickets, but I was still proud of him. In the months since I've been away, my son has been working on my 'cover story', so to speak. Apparently, the town was aflame with talk of his new rediscovered 'daughter'. Starting next Monday, I was already scheduled to attend the local High School, which I was absolutely _not _happy about, but it was a necessity and everyone - apparently - couldn't wait to meet me. Charlie was positively loving the idea of playing the part of my father, and I could already tell he was planning on taking full advantage of that power, in public at least.

Apparently, Jake's pack had acquired a few more members, raising the original five - Sam, Paul, Jared, Jacob and Embry - to a strong ten. I was shocked to find out that Leah, who I have an incredibly complicated history with, had shifted, as well as her younger brother Seth. Sam had imprinted on Emily, which was a scandal in itself, and Leah was suffering for it. Despite our...shaded past, I couldn't help but feel bad for her, but I knew my pity would be far from welcome. Perhaps most shocking of all, however, was Paul's Imprinting on Rebecca, Jacob's older sister and a good friend of mine.

Oh, the drama in La Push...I couldn't _wait_ to get in on that.

"We're here, Mom," Charlie said softly, breaking me from my thoughts. I turned to look at the familiar house. Over the years, this had become the only home I knew, one place I could always count on. It was nice to be back after being away for so long.

There was an unfamiliar car parked in the driveway between Jake's Honda dirt bike and Charlie's cruiser, and I passed a curious look toward my son. "Is someone here?" I asked, nodding my head toward the older model black Toyota Camry.

Charlie smiled. "Someone had to stay with Leland while I went to pick you up," he replied simply. My eyes narrowed, and I pierced him with a harsh glare.

"I thought she was going to stay with Billy, like always?"

"Yeah, well I didn't feel like driving all the way down to the reservation to pick her up, so I just called in a friend to watch her," Charlie shrugged nonchalantly, as if there was nothing wrong with that.

There were only a handful of people that I trusted with Leland, and none of them drove a Toyota Camry. "Who the hell would that friend be, Charlie?" I hissed under my breath, trying not to wake the sleeping werewolf in the backseat. "You know you can't just hand her off on anyone!"

My son threw his hands in the air in surrender. "Easy! I didn't leave her with just anyone! They're trustworthy!"

"And who would that be?" I asked, a bit too harshly.

"Why don't you go find out," he said with a secretive smirk, "I'll get your stuff and wake up lover boy. There's someone waiting to see you."

"He's not my lover boy," I snapped, pulling the handle and forcing the passenger side door open a bit too forcefully and slipping easily from the leather seat. I flashed him another glare before whirling, moving across the short distance from the cruiser to the front door, stomping up the steps and practically ripping the handle off. Yes, a teenage temper tantrum wasn't really my style, but, technically, I was a teenager, and I was supposed to act the part, right?

I could hear Charlie's chuckle behind me as I swung open the door, my eyes narrowed as I searched the kitchen with a scathing glare, only to be met with a very familiar and very welcome face. A smile broke through my harsh facade and my anger all but disappeared. The figure approached me, an answering smile on her face and her deep brown eyes looking me over fondly.

"Isabella," She said softly, her tone warm and welcoming. "You still look stunning, as always."

"Sue," I replied, closing the few steps left between us and pulling the older woman into a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry to hear about Harry. He was such a good man."

Sue Clearwater wrapped her arms tighter around me at the mention of her deceased husband, burying her face in my neck. "Thank you, dear. Its good to see your doing okay. We were worried about you."

"Oh come on, Sue. You should know better than anyone that I can take care of myself," I chided, a teasing smile on my lips. Sue laughed softly, squeezing my shoulder fondly before her eyes drifted toward the stairs. I knew what waited on the top floor, and didn't even bother hiding my excitement.

"She's been waiting for you all day," Sue said with a smile, moving toward the base of the stairs. "Leland! It's dinner time!" She called, flashing me a wink. I could hear an whine of disappointment followed by the opening of a door, and I stood patiently in the small corridor as the sound of little feet stomped down the stairs.

"Come on, darling. I made your favorite; Chicken fingers and mac n' cheese," Sue said in encouragement, calling to the stubborn little girl. Another wine could be heard as the steps grew louder.

"I wanna wait for Mommy to come home before I eat," The girl wined, and I couldn't help but smile as my heart swelled with love.

"I know sweetheart, but she won't be back for a little while. How about this, go in the kitchen and grab your plate, and we can watch TV and sit on the couch while we eat and wait for your mom to come home," the older woman offered, winking in my direction even as my groaning daughter complied.

"Okay, Auntie Sue," Leland replied dejectedly, finally hitting the ground level and turning toward the kitchen, her head bowed and her eyes fixated on the floor. My eyes meeting Sue's for a split second, I helpfully cleared my throat and waited for my little girl's eyes to meet mine.

Leland looked up, a look of surprise on her face. As she spotted me, however, that surprise morphed into such happiness that my heart leapt in my chest. "Momma!" She screeched, hurling herself into my arms. I laughed, lifting her from the ground and spinning her around a few times before I pulled her to me, one arm hiked underneath her bottom as she wrapped her tiny arms around my neck and buried her head in my neck.

"Hey there, Baby Girl. I missed you so much," I whispered in her ear, pulling her as close as I could without hurting her.

"I missed you too Momma. I prayed for you every night when I went to bed. Charlie said that if I prayed hard enough that you would hear me. Did you hear me, Mommy? Did you hear my prayers?" My little girl spewed out in one breath. I smiled, reaching up to tweak her nose with my free hand.

"Of coarse I did, Lee. Didn't I tell you that I'm always looking out for you, even when I'm away?" My daughter beamed, once more burying herself in my shoulder.

"I'm so glad your home, Mommy," she whispered, so softly I almost didn't hear.

"Me too, Sweetheart." Just as I said the words, the door behind me opened and Charlie stepped through, Jake trailing behind him as he tiredly rubbed his eyes. They both smiled brightly when they saw the two of us, and I winked.

"You're here for good this time, right?" Leland asked, the hopelessness in her voice breaking my heart. My Baby Girl would never know just how hard it was for me to leave every time, and every time I came home, she would always ask me if I was back to stay. It broke my heart even more having to tell her that I had to leave again, but this time I wouldn't disappoint her.

"Yes, baby. I'm here for good this time."

She beamed, squealing happily. "Really!" She screeched right in my sensitive ear. I winced a bit, but the smile never left my face. Her excitement was contagious.

"Really," I beamed right back. A wide smile decorated both Charlie's and Sue's faces, and Jake chuckled even as he made a beeline for the fridge, no doubt ravenous. Leland clung to me as hard as she possibly could- which, by the way, was pretty hard for a five year old, bouncing in my arms happily.

"I'm surprised she's still up. She's been bouncing off the walls all day long. I was sure she'd be asleep like the dead when we got here," Charlie teased. Leland lifted her head only long enough to stick her tongue out at her brother, and Sue and I chuckled.

"It's not funny. Charlie isn't kidding...Kid damn near killed me today she was so excited. Do you know how much energy she ha..." Jake trailed off as he straightened, the apple in his hand his prize, only to be met with glares from Sue and myself as Charlie tried desperately to hide his amusement behind a stern look of disapproval.

"What..?" the bulky Quileute asked, glancing between the three of us cautiously. Leland giggled and buried her head in my shoulder.

"Uncle Jakey said a bad word, mommy," she declared happily, her voice muffled as she spoke against my neck.

"Yes, sweetheart, he did. And mommy's going to punish him for it later," I warned, glaring at my best friend.

Jake gulped, his eyes comically wide, and Charlie lost what little control he had over his guffaws. Sue's lighter, softer laughter joined his, and the Quiluete blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry Bells...it slipped..." He grumbled, his eyes refusing to meet mine.

"Your still paying for it," I warned and Jake groaned, knowing full well just how unpleasant his punishment would be. I bit back a smile and my free hand idly caressed my daughter's thick brown locks, my fingers twining through silky curls contently. The world seemed to disappear with Leland in my arms, and I buried my nose in her hair, deeply inhaling the soothing scent of her green apple shampoo. "Come on, Sweetheart. Eat your dinner so we can get you a bath and put you to bed," I said as I leaned down to place the five year old on her feet, already preparing myself for the pout I knew was coming.

"But Mommy, you just got home..." she whimpered, her beautiful face, almost a complete replica of my own, scrunching up in, as predicted, a pout.

"I know, love, but I'm not going anywhere and we have the rest of the week to hang out before Momma has to go back to School." I practically groaned at the word, in no way happy about repeating High School..._again_. "I'm all yours all week. We can do whatever you want," I promised foolishly, but I hadn't seem my daughter in almost eight months, and I was willing to do just about anything she wanted just to spend some much-missed time with her.

Leland, apparently, took my offer quite seriously, for her entire face light up in delight. "Anything!" she exclaimed, hopping excitedly from one foot to the other and clapping her hands with enthusiasm. The gathered adults couldn't help but laugh at just how adorable she looked in her excitement, and I nodded. My daughter's energy level and almost constant state of happiness never ceased to amaze me, but she never failed to cheer me up, no matter how foul my mood.

"Anything, Baby Girl. Now, ask your brother to fix your plate while Mommy talks with Aunt Sue, okay?" I asked, giving Charlie a grateful look as he held out his hand toward the five year old. Leland nodded and took her brother's hand, and together they made their way into the kitchen.

"Can you fix me a plate, Charlie?" Leland asked sweetly, the sound of her voice reaching us from the kitchen.

I smiled warmly, just as Charlie replied. "Sure thing, Sweety."

I flashed Jake a glare as his eyes brightened at the prospect of more food, sauntering up to him and poking one bony finger at his muscled chest. "There better be some food left when I get back, mister." I warned, my eyebrows raising and a smirk curving my lips.

"Yes ma'am!" He saluted, chuckling as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Don't call me ma'am!" I objected, scowling as his laughter, accompanied with Charlie's, floated back to me. I smiled, turning to look at a very amused Sue, and I hadn't realized until that moment just how much I had missed my family.

I held out my hand to the older-looking woman, mimicking Charlie's earlier gesture, and she took it without hesitation, twining our fingers together. "Come walk with me outside," I requested, already pulling her toward the door, but Sue didn't object.

**Parting Words;** Yes, Bella has _another_ kid! Leland _does_ have a purpose...she's not just there for the hell of it, but her character's importance won't come into play until later. I know some of you have questions about how Bella has two kids if she's Lesbian, but this, too, will be explained. Patience, my dear readers! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to leave me a review and let me know what you thought! Much love, Luxor.


	3. Chapter 3

The cold didn't affect me in the slightest. My feverish natural body temperature kept me warm even in a blizzard, and the chilly fall night didn't even phase me. Sue, on the other hand, barely contained her shiver as soon as we cleared the threshold, and I flashed her a sympathetic smile.

"Let me get you a jacket," I offered, turning back toward the house only to be restrained by a gentle hand on my forearm.

"Don't bother," Sue declined, giving me a wink. "I've lived in La Push my whole life...the cold hardly bothers me anymore. Besides, as long as we keep moving, I'll be fine."

I was still skeptic, but I nodded and we both turned, arms locked across our chests, and started down the street. We walked in silence for a few moments before I decided to speak up. "How did it happen?"

Sue and I had been very good friends ever since Charlie had moved to Forks eighteen years ago, and we understood one another on a higher level. She didn't need to ask what I was talking about, she just understood.

"Heart attack. Leah...she shifted for the first time right in front of him, in the middle of a big argument. They were both angry, yelling at each other...Harry's blood pressure was already up because of the yelling, and seeing his daughter turn into a giant wolf right in front of him was the last straw. It was a big enough push to send his heart into overdrive," Sue explained, emotion thick in her voice, and I felt my throat catch both in sympathy and from grief of my own.

Like Sue, I had known Harry since my son had come to Forks, and he and Charlie had become best friends almost instantly. Charlie had taken his death very hard, as had Sue, and my heart went out to both of them. But, the one I perhaps felt the worse for was Leah. Not only did she have to deal with Sam leaving her for her best friend and cousin, as well as me leaving her in her time of need for yet another hunt, but then, the very first time she shifted - which is a very traumatic experience, by the way - her father has a fatal heart attack. Now, she not only has to live with the guilt of being the reason for her father's death, but, every time she shifts, she has to endure listening to Sam's thoughts about his Imprint.

As if reading my own mind, Sue broke the silence that had fallen between us. "Leah's taking it hard. She blames herself for her father, and the Emily situation doesn't make it any better. I think it was harder on her with you gone."

"Maybe I shouldn't have left. I deserted her..." I mumbled softly.

Sue placed a comforting hand on my arm and gave me a soft smile. "Don't blame yourself...she knows why you had to go. We all do." We walked in silence for a few more moments before Sue spoke again, breaking the uneasy silence that had fallen between us. "She's always had it rough. Her and Harry fought like cats and dogs all the time. But..I wish she knew just how proud Harry was of her. I know it has to be hard being the first and only female wolf in La Push, but he would have been so proud."

"Yeah, he would have," I said, smiling slightly and placing a hand on her arm. "How about Seth?" I asked, effectively steering the conversation away from the touchy subject of Leah.

Sue smiled sadly in return, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "He's holding up. It's been hard for him. He's such a brave boy, always trying to be strong for his sister. He's very supportive and understanding, and they've grown very close since Harry. He's so excited to have shifted, too. I think he envied Leah when she changed, and I know he wanted to himself, but...He's just so...young."

I nodded in understanding. "I can relate. It's hard to think of him doing what he was made to do at such a young age. I, personally, don't know how I'll possibly be able to handle it when it happens to me. You're a much stronger woman than I am, Sue."

"Nonsense," the older woman chided, reaching out an arm to pull me to a gentle stop. "You'll handle it like I do. By being supportive and understanding. I think it will be much easier for you than it was for me."

"Well, lucky for me, she's still too young for the change, and, even if she wasn't, there aren't any Vampires around to encourage it." I was trying to be optimistic, but I knew Leland would make the shift eventually, and I just had to prepare myself for it.

"Yeah...about that..." Sue began hesitantly, causing me to stop short and turn to look at her questionably.

"About what?" I asked curiously.

"The...Vampires." Her eyes avoided me completely, shifting from side to side.

Her hesitance and really starting to worry me and now I was on the defensive. That just...wasn't Sue. "What about Vampires?" I deadpanned, narrowing my eyes at the older-looking woman.

"It's not my place to tell you, Bella..."

"Cut the shit, Sue. We've known each other a long time, and you've never kept anything from me. Besides, you can't make a comment like that and not expect to follow through. What's going on?" I demanded, annoyance clear in my voice as I eyes her suspiciously.

She heaved a sigh, her eyes meeting mine again. "Do you remember, all those years ago, when you came to the campfire with Harry and I?" She inquired and, thought I was already pretty impatient, I appeased her.

"When the Elders told the Quileute legends?" I remembered the even clearly, how brightly the stars had shone in the sky and the heat of the bonfire as the tribe had gathered around it. The elders, consisting of Harry Clearwater, Quill Ateara Senior, William Uley, Arthur 'Art' Cameron, Russell Lahote, Leonard 'Leo' Norman, Bryant Gray, and Vincent Bailey, with Billy Black at their head, told the Quileute legends of old. They retold how the great Chief, Taha Aki, had been the first spirit warrior to shift into the great wolf. They told of the discovery of the 'Cold One', and the massacre of the 'Cold one's' mate. They told of Ephram Black, and his infamous treaty.

It had been a wonderful night, one that I would not forget for as long as I lived.

"Yes. Do you remember the telling of the treaty with the vampires called the Cullens? The ones that only fed on animals?" Sue mimicked my thoughts, and I nodded, slightly annoyed. "Well...they're back. They've come back to Forks."

"What?" I snarled, my lips pulling back to reveal clenched teeth. My fists clenched at my sides, and I forced a deep breath to calm myself. "Is that why so many Quileutes are shifting?" Sue nodded solemnly. "Why hasn't the pack taken care of them yet? From what Jake told me, the pack is up to ten members. That should be more than enough wolves."

"It's not that simple, Bella," Sue stated as if it was, indeed, the simplest thing in the world.

"Then explain it to me!" I snapped, perhaps more harshly than I intended.

The older-looking woman sighed, but did as commanded. "The Elders have decided to honor the treaty Ephram Black put in place. The pack has no choice but to abide by their decision. The treaty line has been re-established and the pack frequently patrols the lands, but as long as they don't harm a human or cross onto our land, the wolves are forbidden to attack them."

I stood, shocked silent, for many moments, unable to believe that Billy, of all people, had agreed to such a thing. He knew what Vampires had done to me, and to condone re-establishing a treaty with them? I...I couldn't believe it. And why the hell hadn't Jake told me about this? Hell, why hadn't anyone told me about this?

"How long have they been in town?" I asked softly, still trying to get over the jet lag from both my dual flight and my shock. I wasn't prepared for this kind of shock after such a long day...maybe that's why Jake hadn't told me.

"A little over three months. They came right after school let out," Sue calmly answered, as if this was nothing more than a conversation about the weather.

But my shock was wearing off and, in it's place, I felt almost blinding rage. I took deep breaths, trying desperately to calm myself and not lose my temper, and with it my control, but a feral snarl ripped it's way from my throat regardless. "So, the Elders have lost their backbone, as have the wolves," I growled, my eyes flashing yellow and my fingernails lengthening to claws on their own accord. "No matter...I'll kill the leeches myself."

Panic flashed in Sue's eyes, and not because I was dangerously close to losing control. No, it was the prospect of killing the bloodsuckers that seemed to cause her fear. "No, Bella! You can't! If you attack them, they'll take it as a threat and retaliate." Why was that so bad? Was this Coven so large that ten wolves, plus myself, couldn't easily defeat them?

"I will not have my daughter grow up in a town crawling with Vampires!" I hissed, keeping my voice as soft as possible while expressing my outrage at the same time.

"They're good people, Bella. Their leader, Carlisle, was very understanding of our position. They've agreed to all the terms of the treaty, even the new ones, and they're very adamant that they only want peace. They're very friendly."

I couldn't believe my fucking ears! She was defending them! I been gone for only eight months, and Forks almost completely falls apart!

"Since when did you become a Leech lover, Sue? Making friends with Vampires? I never took you for a traitor to your own heritage and children," I said harshly, regretting the words the instant they left my mouth.

A look of hurt flashed across Sue's face, and I internally kicked myself. She was going through enough right now, and the last thing she needed was me lashing out at her. Besides, I knew better than to let my anger get the best of me.

"That was low, Isabella, even for you," She shot back, just as venomously. I winced at the use of my full name, but said nothing. I deserved that. "As long as the Cullens cause no harm, we are to leave them be. La Push isn't ready to lose their sons and daughters in a pointless war, because wolves would die, Bella. How would you feel if it was Jake that was killed, just to sate your need for blood?" I couldn't imagine such a thing, and I winced again, but I knew I deserved her harshness, simply because she didn't deserve mine. "We have always been a peaceful people, and there is no need for wolves to die just because of your vendetta. Think of Jake, Bella. Think of your daughter. Leave them be." Her tone had softened, but hurt was still fresh in her eyes. Hurt that I had caused, and I'd never felt so low in my life.

I sighed, my anger dissipating as quickly as she began her argument, but I still didn't like it...Vampires in Forks. Was nowhere safe? "Fine, Sue. But one slip up, one little mistake, and I'm taking them down myself, treaty or no, Elders be dammed. And I can name a few wolves that would help me. Until then, though, I give my word that I won't provoke them," I warned, eyes narrowing slightly so she would know just how serious I was.

"Thank you," she said simply, nodding her understanding, but her tone was distant, almost cold.

"And...Sue...I'm sorry. That was harsh, and you didn't deserve it," I said sincerely, hoping to ease the tension that had welled up between us. Sue was one of my dearest friends, and I couldn't handle not having her in my life because of a stupid comment said in anger.

The smallest of smiles curved the corners of her lips, and she pulled me into her embrace. "I know, Bells. I'm sorry too." I sagged in relief, the tone of her voice silently telling me all was forgiven.

We stayed like that for many moments, gathering strength and comfort from one another like we once had years ago, and Sue's ever so slight, barely noticeable shivering disappeared completely as she basked in my overly-high body heat.

"When were the Elders planning on telling me this?" I asked softly, the harsh edge from my voice gone and replaced with resignation. I had given my word, and I never broke a promise. I would just have to wait for the bloodsuckers to slip up. And I knew they would...It was inevitable.

"There's a bonfire tomorrow. We were going to invite you and Charlie, and tell you then. I suppose there's no need for us to bring it up now, but you're still welcome to join."

I nodded in silent understanding, but something Sue had said caught my attention. "Wait, we?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow, "You're telling me that you're a member of the Council?"

Sue nodded, looking both proud and bereaved at the same time. "I took Harry's position," she explained.

"I see...Well, then, congratulations are in order," I said with a wide smile. Sue was, like Leah, the first woman on the Council since it the very first had been gathered. Like mother, like daughter, I guess.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "Bells, if it makes you feel any better, we were against it at the beginning."

"What changed?" I asked softly, curious as to what would change her mind. I would never say it aloud, at least to her face, but her acceptance of this 'treaty' stuck me like a betrayal. I wanted to know what had happened that was so influential that she would go against everything she had been taught all her life.

"We met them. Their leader requested a meeting, and we agreed. We talked for a bit, adjusted some sections of the treaty...They really are good people, Bella. You should meet them."

I hissed, my lips drawing back to reveal the elongated k-nines that were my most valuable weapon. "I would rather die than converse with leeches. They can burn in hell, for all I care."

Sue sighed, and I knew it was because she was frustrated with my close-mindedness, but there was simply no fucking way I would even consider having anything close to a civil conversation with a Vampire.

"I'm asking you, Bella...Please, just leave them be. At least don't go looking for trouble. If they step out of place, I promise you'll be the first one to have a piece of them. But until then..."

"Yeah, yeah," I cut her off with a wave of my hand, "I get it. I'll be...civil. But I'll be watching them like a hawk."

Sue smiled at my stubbornness. "I wouldn't expect anything less." I could tell from the look on her face that the older-looking woman wasn't quite done, so I waited patiently for her to finish. "Call me a bad person, but I really do hope that they are as different as they say they are. I want to believe that they're good people, Bella, I really do. If they're not...I...I don't want to think of what would happen if Leah and Seth had to go to war."

"Sue," I said softly, comfortingly, "For your sake, I hope your right about them too. You've been through too much already. But you need to understand...Leah and Seth were made for this. It's in their blood, just as it's in mine. Besides," I added, my tone lightening and taking on a slightly arrogant edge, "If it comes down to a war, we'll clobber 'em."

I smirked, and Sue chuckled softly. I had no doubt that, if it came down to a war, the pack would win, but Sue was right...wolves would die, and I don't know if I could handle it if one of those was Jake, Leah or Seth. The others I would be upset about, but Jake had been my best friend for years, and I had known him, Leah and Seth since they were born. So, for their sake, and for Sue's, I would restrain myself. I would be civil toward the leeches, even if I didn't like it.

"To tell the truth," I began slowly, voicing the other issue plaguing my mind, "I just...I can't believe that Billy would condone something like that." _I can't believe you would condone something like that._ "He knows how I feel about Vampires." She understood the hidden meaning behind my words, and her expression softened.

"He wasn't too keen on it, but he doesn't want a war. After losing Sarah and Rebecca running off to Hawaii, he wouldn't be able to bear it if something happened to Jacob."

I could understand his reasoning, but surely Billy, like Sue, had to understand that Jacob was only what he was for the sole purpose of killing Vampires. Trying to keep him from doing just that went against nature, so to speak, and it wasn't at all fair to Jake. Besides, it wasn't like Billy had anything to worry about. My best friend was easily the best fighter in the pack, and he was pretty damn close to matching me in skill. He was more than capable of handling himself against a couple bloodsuckers.

"I can understand that, I suppose, but he has to accept it eventually. He can't protect Jake forever," I pointed out. _You can't protect Seth and Leah forever..._

Sue just smiled secretively, looking at me queerly. "You'll understand when it's Leland."

Just thinking of my little girl battling Vampires unnerved me greatly, but even I knew that, when it came time for her to face her fist opponent, I wouldn't be able to stop her or protect her. The day would come, and I would have to let go and trust my baby could handle herself. Easier said then one, right? "Just one more question..."

"Yes?" Sue asked patiently, raising an eyebrow.

"Everyone is so worried about a war..." Sue nodded patiently, waiting for me to continue, "Just how big is this coven?"

Sue was silent for a moment, taking a deep breath before she replied, as if she knew I wouldn't like the answer. "When they first came to Forks, in the time of Ephram Black, there were only four...since then, they've doubled in size. They have three mated pairs, an unmated male and an unmated female. Once those two find mates, they'll be up to ten."

I gaped, speechless. Such a large coven...it was practically unheard of! I'd never come across a coven larger then four, besides the Vampire Royalty Wannabees all the way in Italy. Now, I could understand the Elder's hesitation, but even eight didn't compare to ten, eleven now that I was back in town. We had the numbers, even if it wasn't a huge advantage.

I needed some time to process everything I had learned. It was too much after such a long day, and even I needed sleep.

"Come on," I said gently, giving Sue a soft smile. I grabbed her hand, gently tugging her in the direction of the house as she twined her fingers with my own, moving closer to my feverish warmth to keep the cold night air at bay. "Lets get back. This is way too much serious talk for one day. Besides, Lee is probably going crazy by now, and I'm sure you need to get home to your own kids."

"Uh, Bella?" She pulled me to a stop, her brown eyes sparkling with mischief and humor.

"Hmm?"

"Are you going to change your eyes and hands back anytime soon? It's kind of intimidating, you know." She winked, and I looked own to see my fingers, indeed, still tipped with claws.

"Shit!" I glanced around furiously, hoping no one had seen even as the yellow in my eyes faded back to brown and my talons shortened to human fingernails. "I completely forgot about that," I said sheepishly as I glanced at Sue. The older woman was pursing her lips, trying furiously to hold back her laughter.

_Three...two...one..._I mentally counted down, and right on cue, Sue blew up, bursting into a fit of giggles.

"Yeah, yeah, Ha ha," I grumbled, once more grabbing the older-looking woman's arm and pulling her back down the street, the echo of her laughter following us.

**Parting Words; **So, I hope this chapter answered a few of your questions! I'm sure you've already figured out that Bella and Leland are Shifters as well (and, if you haven't already, then you do now...oops...) But the animal they shift into won't be revealed until later, so be patient!


	4. Chapter 4

After bidding Sue and Jake goodnight, I spent some much needed alone time with my family. After eating dinner, the three of us watched a movie - The Swan Princess...Leland's choice, unless you couldn't tell - in silence, enjoying each others company. Leland was snuggled against my side while I leaned heavily against Charlie. It didn't take long for my little girl to fall asleep, but my hand continued to caress her hair as my son and I watched Derek fight the 'Great Animal' in order to save Odette.

As soon as the credits rolled, I easily swept my sleeping daughter into my arms and took her upstairs. I set her gently on her bed, pulling back her lavander comforter and tucking her in, grabbing her favorite stuffed animal - a brown wolf that Jacob had gotten her for her birthday a few years back - and settling it beside her before I pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. She never stirred, not once, and I smiled at just how peaceful she looked in her slumber.

No, not just peaceful. She was an Angel.

Standing there, watching my Baby Girl sleep, I couldn't believe how much of her life I had let myself miss out on. Hell, she was more Charlie's daughter than she was mine...all because of my never-ending manhunt.

But that would change. I was determined that it would be different. I think losing James' trail in Scotland was the best thing to happen to me, ironically enough. It made me realize what I was missing out on. I had missed too much of Charlie's childhood, and I would never stop regretting that. I wasn't going to let that happen with Leland too. At least one of my children deserved to have a normal childhood.

Ironic that it would be Leland, considering how un-normal she was. The shifter gene ran thick in her veins, and it was only a matter of time before it awakened in her blood and she changed. It would still be a few years yet, but it would happen eventually. Charlie was lucky on that front, though he tended to not think so. His blood still carried the gene, but, for him, it would never manifest. He could only pass it on to his children - if he ever had any.

His father, ironically the first man I've ever slept with, was an average everyday human and his mortal blood had been just enough to supress my shifter gene. Leland's father had been a shifter as well and the Beast's spirit ran thick in my little girl's veins.

I think Charlie envied her for that. Leland would change eventually. She would live an immortal life like me, considering she would become a Hunter like me, but Charlie never would. He would age and die, and he hated the thought of leaving me and Lee behind. It would be hard, watching my baby boy slowly waste away, immensly so. After all, you know how that saying goes; Children are supposed to outlive their parents, not the other way around. It wasn't easy for him, having a mother that would never die and knowing that he would someday. He knew the pain it would cause me, and he hated himself for that.

Part of me hated that I would have to watch my son, my flesh and blood, my child die. I would have to watch as his hair turned white and his body grew frail. I would have to see his body lowered into the ground, and hear the important people in his life speak of how loved he was. But the other part of me was happy he would never know my life. He would never know what it felt like to look into the blood red eyes of a Vampire and know that only one of you would live, only one of you would walk away from that fateful meeting, and it very might not be you. He would never have to watch generations of humans grow old and die, while he never aged a day. I just wasn't sure which part was stronger.

I think I was leaning toward being happy he would never have to experience my life, though.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't like the thought of my daughter leading the life I did. I didn't want her constantly hunting down Vampires. Believe me, my job wasn't easy. I've lost track of the amount of broken bones, cuts, bruises and bites I've received in my line of 'work', and I have all the scars to prove it. I didn't like the thought of her body being as...decorated...as mine. I didn't want her to risk her life pratically on a daily basis like I did, but, at the same time, I did. She could choose to follow in my footsteps and I would be lying if I said that a large part of me _did _want her to choose the path I had. I had come to terms with the fact that Charlie would die - at least as much as one could come to terms with their child dying - and there was nothing I could do to stop it, but I didn't know how I would handle having to lose both my children.

It was selfish, to want Leland to live forever, just so I wouldn't have to watch her die like I would Charlie.

"Are you gonna stand there until the sun comes up, or are you planning on getting some actual rest?" A whispered voice asked from the doorway, breaking me from my thoughts.

A soft smile curled my lips, and I gave one last, lingering look to my sleeping angel before I turned and made my way toward the door, where Charlie was waiting for me. He was grinning from ear to ear, one arm outstretched, offering me a mug of coffee. I gladly accepted it, eying the dark brew as Charlie followed me out of the room and softly closed the door behind him.

"Did you make this?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, gesturing the mug at him. He winked at the rhetorical question, and I took a cautious sip. The coffee was strong, it's bitter edge almost unbearable, and I winced. "Ugh, I'm going to start making coffee from now on."

"Oh come on. It _can't _be that bad!" He replied, his tone thick with disbeliefe and slight insult.

I took another sip, just to placate him, and my face scrunched up in disgust once more. "Well, one thing I certaintly never taught you was how to make a decent pot of cofee. How can you drink this stuff? I'm suprised your kidneys haven't failed yet." I was just teasing him now, even thought the brew was pretty horrible, but I couldn't resist getting in a few jabs to his ego.

Thankfully, Charlie and I had a very good relationship. It was just how we were, constantly teasing one another, all with smiles on our faces. We had never been super emotional...that wasn't me, and it certaintly wasn't him. So we settled for a more...relaxed relationship. It might be odd, but it worked easily for us.

Charlie's smile was filled with adoration and joy, and I couldn't help the identical one that curved my own lips. "It's good to have you back, Mom. We've missed you. It's...It's not the same around here without you."

Of coarse, we had our 'emotional' exceptions...

I winked at the large man, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. Charlie wasn't one to voice his feelings often, and when he did, they always warmed my heart. "I love you, Charlie. Go get some rest. We have a long day planned tomorrow."

He nodded, kissing my forehead before he turned on heel, heading toward his own bedroom. I waited until the door closed behind him before, with a contented sigh, I headed toward my own bedroom and settled in for what would no doubt be the best nights sleep I'd had in months.

**X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X**

Of coarse, I was completly and utterly right...as always.

The night before had been the best nights sleep I'd had in months, and it had everything to do with the familiaraty of my own bed, and the knowledge that I didn't have to be on guard every second. I didn't have to compulsivly watch my back. I didn't have to look over my shoulder or sleep so lightly that the slightest noise snapped me awake. I wasn't living in a constant state of awarness.

And it was refreshing, to say the least.

The next morning, I awoke promptly at sunrise, a beam of light filtering through my window and shining right in my eyes. I groaned, turning my back to the offending ray and pulled the blanket over my head. I wouldn't go back to sleep. My body had long ago fallen into the pattern of waking up at first light, but I was content just to lay there, snuggled in my own personal cacoon of warmth, breathing in my own familiar scent.

It was almost easy to forget the problem that had plagued my mind the night before.

Almost.

Vampires. A part of me still couldn't believe it. I mean, I had only heard of a few covens larger than the typical four - which was considered large for a coven - but eight was just overkill. Secondly, Vampires hardly ever took up permanent residences. It was nearly impossible, since they could only linger in one place for a few years, at best. Mortals tended to get suspicious when you never aged.

Of coarse, It was my biggest problem, too. I couldn't linger in any town or city for too long; my job made that kind of pointless anyway. Vampires move around almost constantly, and tracking them down for the sole purpose of killing them pretty much meant that I did too. It's why I was always so careful whenever I came to Forks. I was always careful to keep myself hidden away. Word traveled in this shit town fast, and Charlie would have one hell of a time explaining the young, beautiful immortal who showed up every half-year or so and never seemed to age. In fact, I think the only people in Forks who knew of my existance besides Charlie were the wolves in La Push, with an few exceptions, including a few close friends, my handler - the man that took care of my passports, drivers liscenes, bank accounts, ect - and, of coarse, Vampires.

But La Push was the one place I didn't have to hide. Sure, the mortals on the reservation didn't and couldn't know of my presence, with the exception of a few, but with the pack, I could just be Bella, immortal shifter and all around bad ass. This was actually the first time I would publically make myself known...as Charlie's teenage daughter.

Awkward...

But I'm getting off track. Vampires...I didn't understand this strange Coven, and I didn't like it. I didn't like knowing very little about the Vampires that lived in the town where I lived, or, more importantly, my family lived. I needed answers. Answers that the Elders couldn't tell me. I needed to find these answers for myself. I had been in the buisness for nearly a century, and I was damn good at what I did. Finding out about Vampires was pratically my life.

And until I found out all about this strange Coven, my family wouldn't be safe...

"Mommy!" I heard the scream from down the hall, but I didn't jump up in a panic. There was nothing but excitment in her voice, so I stayed where I was, knowing soon enough my little girl would barge into my room.

And not ten seconds later, my door flung open and Leland hurled her small body across my room and threw herself on my bed. I feinted sleep, fighting against the smile I felt tugging my lips. I heard Charlie chucking from the doorway, and I tried to ignore my own laughter bubbling inside of me.

Leland took to jumping up and down, screaming 'mommy' over and over again, and it didn't take long for her excitment to crack my fascade. I laughed, breathy and joyful, and lunged from my sleeping position to grab the little girl in my arms. She squealed first in suprise, then in delight as I threw her on the matress and proceeded to tickle her sides furiously.

"Stop! Mommy, stop!" She squealed between high-pitched giggled and screams, a blush coloring her cheeks a deep red.

I relented, instead placing my hands on either side of her small body to brace myself as I leaned down and smothered her face with kisses. Her laughter returned and she wiggled, trying to get out of my embrace. "Good morning, baby girl," I beamed, smirking down at her as she controlled her giggled.

"Morning Mommy!"

I leaned away, gracefully sweeping from the bed and winking at Charlie as I knelt in front of the bed, my back facing my daughter. "Hop on!" I offered, and Leland wasted no time before she lept upon my back and wrapped her tiny arms around my throat. Her legs tried to twine around my waist but, when they didn't quite reach, I reached behind and grasped her thighs, even as I stood and made my way to the door.

"Well, it looks like we have our own little spider monkey," Charlie commented with a smirk, following me down the stairs.

I turned and smiled at my son, "I seem to remember a certain little boy that absolutly adored piggy back rides when he was younger," I commented with a rasied eyebrow.

He chuckled, shaking his head and patting his sister on the back. "So what's on the agenda for today?"

"Well, my _father_," I answered with a snicker, "is going to be taking his two beautiful and wonderful _daughters _to breakfast. Then, we'll need to get some stuff for _school_..." The word was said with disgust, "and some decent food. Then, we're expected at the reservation for a bon fire."

"Sounds like a busy day..." Charlie murmmered as he rummaged around the kitchen, grabbing the paper from the counter.

"But Moooommy!" Leland complained from my back, "You promised we could do whatever I wanted!"

"I know baby girl. Thats why you and me are going to make Charlie take us to Port Angeles tomorrow for some shopping!"

The five-year old reacted just as I knew she would; with an excited squeal directly in my very sensative ear. I was sure I wouldn't be able to hear out of it for hours. Charlie groaned, also as expected, and I smiled as I gently set my little clone on the counter top.

I could, personally, see where Charlie's discontent was coming from. I wasn't a big fan of shopping myself, but I figured that, after living with a middle-aged man for nigh on eight months, Leland could seriously use some new clothes. Then again, so coul I. The clothes I had in my closet and unpacked suitcase would definatly not suffice for High School.

I could pratically picture it now, me rolling into the parking lot dressed in my typical, skin tight black spandex pants, short sleeve black t-shirt and black, knee-length leather jacket, my typical 'Hunter' wear. I would be an even larger topic of conversation. Everyone would think I was either an emo goth chick, which might not be so bad if it meant no one bothered me, or some dominatrix...which would probably get me more attention than I wanted.

So, shopping was defiantly in order.

"Well, come on, girls. From what I hear, I have two lovely ladies to take to breakfast," Charlie offered with a wink in my direction.

Leland giggled at being called a 'lady', a grin curling my own lips as I helped her from the counter top and grabbed her hand, leading her upstairs to get us both dressed for the long day ahead.

**Parting Words; **Okay, so hopefully this chapter will answer most of the rest of your questions. I really took the time to explain Bella's life, most importantly, her family and her...uh...occupation. There are still some mysteries, yes, but I have to keep you hooked somehow, don't I?

Also, Leland does have a purpose, so please don't think that she's just there for the hell of it. she's not just there for the hell of it, but her character's importance won't come into play until later. So, be patient, and trust me when I say all your questions will be answered ;D

For those of you impatient for some Alice/Bella action, don't fret. It's coming soon, believe me. I just had to set the stage and plot for the story, so please be patient. Only a few more chapters before Alice's appearance! Trust me, I'm just as eager as you!


	5. Chapter 5

After taking our purchases back home and changing into more suitable clothing, the three of us found ourselves on our way to the reservation for the pack bonfire. Despite myself, I couldn't help but be excited at the prospect of seeing my kin again, the small-ish group of people that were the only ones - besides my own family and most of the Vampire community - who knew just what I was. In short, I could actually be myself around them, without fear of having to lie at every turn or dream up some ludicrous story, which I had gotten quite good at, by the way. Hell, I could phase right in the middle of the beach, and no one would bat an eye.

It was...refreshing.

It was only a matter of time before we pulled up to the Black's familiar house. As soon as the engine cut off, I had the door open and was stepping out, only to be swept into a pair of very muscular, tanned arms and lifted from the ground. A familiar scent hit me like a brick wall, and I chuckled into the embrace even as I returned it.

"Ouill," I scolded, lightly slapping the boy's chiseled back, "Put me down!"

The shifter obliged, setting me lightly on my feet. "Aw, come on Bells! Didn't you miss me?"

"Of course I did, you big lugg! But not enough to allow you to sweep me off my feet!" I exclaimed, smiling at the boy fondly, unsurprised when Embry and Jacob burst from the house to join him. They soon reached me and Embry, unsurprisingly, pulled me likewise into his embrace, though he, at least, had the decency to keep me on my feet. Over his shoulder, I noticed Charlie slip into the house, no doubt to meet with Billy.

Quill, almost as soon as he set me on my feet, moved to the back door of Charlie's police cruiser, unbuckling Leland from her booster seat and grabbing her into his arms. I was vaguely aware of his greeting, one my little girl answered with a giggle and blush before the boy holding me in his arms once more caught my attention.

"Welcome back, B. I heard about your hunt...Sorry it didn't go the way you wanted," Embry muttered in my ear, his feverish breath tickling my ear. It wasn't surprising Embry knew about my failed mission. His mental link with Jacob and the rest of the pack left me with no doubt that all the wolves knew by now.

"Thanks, Bree. But don't worry, I'll get him eventually."

The trio's answering grins were what I could only describe as...well, wolfish. "Oh, we know you will," Jacob assured, winking at me.

My little girls squeal reached my ears, and I didn't even have to turn to know what - or more appropriately, who - had caused that squeal. "Jared, so help me God, if you so much as harm a hair on my baby girl's head..."

A thick, rumbling chuckle rolled toward me, and I finally turned to see Leland, abducted from Quill's hold, thrown over the burly man's shoulder, her giggled overshadowed by Jared's rumbling laughs. Quill pouted, flashing an angry glare at the back of Jared's head as the older boy closed the distance between us, a brilliant smile creasing his ruggishly handsome face, and placed a quick kiss on my cheek. "Welcome back, Bella," he parroted Embry, bouncing Leland on his shoulder.

"Uncle Jarry!" the little girl exclaimed in between giggles, her tiny fists pounding against the man's muscular bare back, "Stop!"

I took a quick glance around, noticing that the other two that completed Jared's trio were missing. I took a cautionary sniff of the La Push air, catching the scent of diesel exhaust, sea salt, damn woodlands and the four boys, but nothing of the Alpha and his lapdog.

"Where are Sam and Paul?" I asked Jared, who was busy tossing my giggling little girl in the air and catching her, practically spitting Paul's name in disgust. It was no secret that the two of us didn't get along, but the pack had long ago learned to ignore our mutual distaste.

"Sam's already down at the beach with the other Elders, and Paul decided to tag along," Jared answered.

I rolled my eyes at his answer. "Of course..."

Jared flashed me a grin just before blowing on Leland's stomach. His reward was another peal of gigglish laughter, and I couldn't help but smile at the joyous look on her face.

Next to Jacob, Jared was the best with Leland, and I couldn't help but think he would be a wondrous father one day. Most of the pack treated Leland like one of their own, but Jared loved her like his own daughter. His adoration was clear in his eyes. Leland, in turn, absolutely adored her Uncle Jarry just as much, and there were few people I trusted with my little girl more than Jared.

The reason was really a simple one; I knew without a lingering doubt that Jared would give his life to protect Leland, and would die a million deaths before he let anything happen to her.

"Well," I said decisively, "Lets gather the old men and head down to the beach then. I hate leaving the Elders waiting."

The boys grumbled in agreement. The Elders tended to be the least patient of people, and, even though I was older than every single one of them, I respected them and didn't like having them upset with me.

Quill rushed into the house to get Charlie and Billy, and, as soon as the handicapped Quiluete was safety down the stairs and on solid ground, we all headed toward the beach. It wasn't a far walk, and, truthfully, we all needed the fresh air.

I couldn't help but smile as I looked around me, spotting Charlie pushing Billy's chair as the two chatted about God knows what, probably fishing or football. Leland was walking between Jacob and Jared, each bulky man-boy clasping on of her tiny hands as they swung her back and forth from time to time, wide smiles on both of their faces and my little girl's eyes sparkling delightfully. Quill and Embry stumbled along as they pushed each other back and forth in a typical teenage rough-house action, occasionally trading light blows to each others shoulders or biceps.

We were the last to arrive at the beach...Big surprise there, right? The sound of crashing waves roared in my ears and the thick smell of sea salt burned my nose, but the fading sun reflecting off of the inky blackness of the constantly moving water was almost majestic. The sun hung, half engorged in the orange and red painted canvas of the sky, large grey masses occasionally blocking it's light as they wafted to and fro.

The rest of the pack's six members as well as the eight members of the council were gathered around a rather small campfire. The Elders were seated on the deadwood logs that formed a circle around the fire pit while the looming forms of the Quiluete werewolves stood at their backs, some with their arms crossed, some with their hands shoved into their pockets and all of them looking bored.

"Auntie Sue!" Leland squealed, pulling herself from Jacob and Jared's grasp and running at breakneck pace toward the older woman, affectingly bringing all attention to us. Most faces smiled as the five-year old hurled herself into Sue's arms, and a few chuckles were stolen away by the sea breeze, but I noticed a few that still looked stoic. Paul, for one - big shocker, there - Sam and, surprisingly, Leah.

I wasn't all that shocked about the lack of expression on Sam's face. He was a very serious being, especially considering his young age, but I couldn't blame him for his solemnity. He had been forced to grow up quite quickly, and it had taken it's tole on him. Still, his deep brown eyes were alight with the smile that didn't cross his lips, and, if I looked hard enough, I could barely make out the slight twitching at the corners of his mouth.

Leah, on the other hand, surprised me. Sure, we weren't on the best of terms before my last trip, and eight months of absolutely no contact tended to give one reason for the 'cold shoulder', but, to be honest, I wasn't expecting her coldness to extend to my daughter.

I sighed, even as the boys went to join their brethren and Charlie dutifully rolled Billy's chair to one of the empty spaces between the logs before taking the empty spot on the deadwood to Billy's right. I took a seat nex to Sue, grateful she had saved me a place. Leland was snuggled into her lap, and we smiled at one another before turning our attention to the head of the council. A large hand settled on my shoulder, and I didn't even need to look to know it was my best friend.

The bonfire started out as it usually did, with Billy reciting the legends of the Quiluete people and, no matter how many times I heard them - and now would be about the fifth - they never ceased to fascinate me. Though I had a grasp of how my own people had come about, the story of the La Push wolves were quite riveting.

It was after nine when Billy finished telling the tales, the moon having long ago taken the sun's place in the sky. Jake was snuggled between my parted legs, leaning heavily against the log at his back with his head resting on my knee while I, in turn, played absentmindedly with his short black hair. Most of the pack had adopted similar positions around the circle, and only a few were left standing. Seth was leaning heavily against Sue's knee, his eyes bright with excitement, and I smiled slightly at his innocence.

But, as soon as Billy's voice died out, all but a few of the wolves stood from their positions, brushing sand from their shorts and skin, and I knew it was time for the real fun to begin. Jake spryly leapt to his feet, flashing me a wolfish grin even as he held out a hand. I rolled my eyes, but accepted anyway, stretching my limbs as I stood.

We immediately found our way to Quill and Embry, and the four of us traded friendly banter as the rest of the pack and Elders likewise mingled. Leland had fallen asleep in Sue's arms, cuddled deep into the older woman's side. Charlie was, unsurprisingly, with Billy, the two discussing something intensely.

"Bella!"

I turned just in time to see Seth hurling toward me. Startled, I acted on reflex, balancing us both even as my arms reached up to encase the boy in a protective embrace.

"Hey, Seth," I chuckled, patting his back even as Embry and Quill laughed outright.

"Bella, Bella!" They mocked in unison, their voices pitched higher than usual. A growl rumbled deep in my chest as Seth's face fell slightly, and Jacob punched both wolves heavily on the shoulders.

"Leave him alone, you two." The command was thick in his voice and, though Jake wasn't the Alpha of the pack, he was the Beta so his commands were not taken lightly. I gave my best friend a grateful smile, and he nodded in the slightest.

We both had a huge soft spot for Seth, and neither of us took kindly to the rest of the pack teasing him, something they had done ever before he shifted and apparently still were. Teasing I could deal with, but mocking was something totally different. It was unacceptable.

"Hey, Pup," I greeted in return, ruffling his hair playfully. He groaned and I smirked, paying little attention as the trio decided to leave us alone and trotted toward the rest of the pack.

"Your not going to start calling me that, are you?" He whined pathetically, and my smirk growing.

"Sure am. It's what you are, after all," I stated, matter-of-factly.

He protested, "I'm not a pup!"

"You are to me."

Seth looked at me like I was crazy. "Well...you're like, ten times my age!

"Hey! I'm not that old!" I protested indignantly.

A deep, almost unnoticeable chuckle sounded behind me, and I turned to glare at the culprit only to come up short.

"Isabella," Sam began, returning my instantaneous smile with one of his own small, rare ones.

"Sam," I greeted in return. He didn't embrace me like the boys had, but a heavy hand settled on my shoulder and he squeezed gently. His opposite hand reached out to meet my extended one, and we clasped one another's forearms in a traditional warriors greeting.

"We have much to discuss." I nodded, not bothered in the least. We did have quite a bit to discuss.

Sam and I had always had a very good relationship. Since he was the first wolf to shift in La Push, I was the one to help him come to terms with what he was, as well as help him learn to control his more animalistic instincts. I respected him, both as a shifter and the alpha of his pack, and I knew Sam respected me as well. We had an understanding; I looked out for him, as any mentor would, and he knew without me having to say that I was there for him whenever he needed.

"Come. Lets take a walk." I nodded again, truing toward Seth for a moment.

"I'll catch up with you later, pup," I told him fondly, ruffling his hair again. He grimaced and shook his head, and a frown decorated his face at having our reunion cut short.

"I'll see you later in the week, right?" He said hopefully, and I grinned devilishly.

"Of course."

His smile brightened and he bounded off to join Jake and the others, minus Leah, and I turned to find a patiently waiting Sam shifting his weight from foot to foot a few feet away. I joined him and together, we turned toward the inky darkness, our eyes cutting through the shadows better than any flashlight.

Our pace was leisurely, and neither of us spoke for quite some time to ensure we were out of hearing distance. I had a pretty good idea about what Sam wanted to discuss, and there were a few things I wanted to talk to him about myself.

"So, tell me about your hunt. What went wrong?" Sam began after a few more moments of stoic silence, and I gave a soft sigh.

"Same as always...They keep slipping between my fingers. I was so close, too. When I lost the trail it was only a few hours old. That stupid bitch and her gift are starting to get on my nerves," I grumbled in annoyance.

Sam chuckled, softly and quickly. "I'm sure you'll get them sooner or later."

"Later rather than sooner. I've decided to settle down for a little bit."

Sam glanced at me, surprise evident in his eyes. I wasn't really the 'settle down' type, and I hardly ever stuck around for more than a few months at the most before I was off hunting again, so his surprise was warranted. "How long are you planning on sticking around?"

"A few years...at least enough for me to 'finish' high school," I said with a smirk, using air quotes to emphasis my point. The corner of Sam's eyes crinkled with amusement at the snarkiness of my tone. "Anyway, I want to spend some time with my family, and it looks like I picked the perfect time to return."

Sam nodded, unaffected by my bitterness. "Yes, I was quite surprised by the appearance of this new coven myself."

"I don't like it, Sam. The pack is more powerful than it's ever been before. We should take them out."

He sighed, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck. "Trust me, Isabella, I want nothing more than to rid this threat from our land, but we are must abide by the council's wishes. The pack has no say in this matter."

"Yes, yes, I know." I mimicked his sigh, crossing my arms over my chest in an unneeded effort to keep my body's warmth sealed in my body. "Tell me about these vampires. Have you met with them?"

"I have, briefly. They seemed very polite and sincere, but I still don't trust them. We've been keeping an eye on them and nothing seems amis...they've been feeding on animals like they said, but most of them are attending school. With so many of them so close to humans...it worries me. We were going to meet with them on Monday night, just to warn them that we're watching...a reminder that any 'slip ups' won't be tolerated. I have to admit, though, I feel much better knowing you will be attending school with them."

I smiled, the devious, almost menacing kind. "Oh, don't worry about the leeches. I'll be watching them like hawks."

"I know," Sam reassured. "It helps me breath a little easier, knowing that you're here if it turns into a fight. Not that I doubt the pack's abilities, I just..." he trailed off, uncertain as to how to continue, but I knew what he wanted to say.

"It's fine, Sam, I know." I patted his arm gently, and he gave me a thankful glance.

"They seem capable. Their leader, Carlisle, is a doctor. I don't know how he can manage to be around human blood all day and not go crazy, but we suspect he is very old. There is a male among them that is covered in scars. No doubt he will be the greatest threat. He can also sense and manipulate emotions. Another male can read minds..."

My eyes flashed toward him in surprise, almost as if I didn't hear him completely, and he nodded to confirm. I knew some vampires had gifts, but reading minds could prove very dangerous. I didn't like it...not one bit.

"One of the brunette females can manipulate any form of energy. It manifests in the form of electric shocks or something similar to lightening bolts. The smallest female can also see the future, but it appears as if her gift doesn't work on us."

"How fortunate," I commented. I could see how a future-seeing vampire would also prove very dangerous, but the fact that it didn't work on the pack proved very fortunate indeed. If we decided to rid the town of this vampire infestation, they would never see it coming.

But with so many gifted vampires in one coven, I could now completely understand why the Elders so feared a war. Even with the pack's superior numbers, I didn't doubt that many casualties would cripple the wolves. To win such a war would come at great cost.

Even I would have problems with such vampires.

"Indeed."

"Tell me, how do you know about all their gifts?"

"We made it a condition of the treaty that they disclose any talents they might have," the Alpha answered. "They seemed slightly surprised that we knew Vampires could possess special powers, but they didn't refuse. It seems they are very serious about keeping the peace."

We walked in companionable silence for a bit, both of us lost in our own thoughts until something came to my mind. "How's Emily doing?"

Sam's whole face light up at her name. "Splendid. She's still upset about Leah, but she's been wonders for the pack. Treats them all like her kids."

My chest shook with the rumblings of my chuckle. Silence took over once more as I gathered my thoughts and, taking a deep breath, spoke again. "Is Leah taking it better now that she...understands?"

"I...I had hoped she would, but, if anything, it only makes it worse." I frowned at the despondency in his voice, and I felt a stab of pity for him. Sam might have found his soul mate in Emily, but I knew he still cared very deeply for Leah. A part of him would always love her, and it hurt him to see her in so much pain day in and day out and know he was the cause.

From Leah's prospective, I could see how understanding that Sam couldn't help his love for Emily would have made it worse. Imprinting was a very powerful thing, an unbreakable bond, and a shifters Imprint was never far from one's thoughts. Having to share a mental link with her ex-fiance and the supposed love of her life as his thoughts constantly strayed to his Imprint was certainty not going to be a pleasant experience. Not only that, I knew that a part of Leah had hoped that Sam would come back to her, and to have that hope of that murdered, doubtless, only made things worse.

"She'll come around eventually," I tried to reassure. "One day, she'll find her own Imprint."

"I can only hope," The Alpha mumbled softly. "Let's return. I'm sure the rest of the pack want's to greet you."

I nodded and we turned as one, silently trekking back to the bonfire. The light of the flame had just barely become visible before Sam spoke, his deep voice piercing the sound of breaking waves and the whistle of the wind. "The full moon is in a week," he began almost nonchalantly.

I nodded, taking a second to glance up at the almost fully-engorged moon. I held back the urge to heave a sigh, and my animal roused from her peaceful state at the mention of the moon. "Yes, I'm aware."

I wasn't looking forward to the experience...the full moon had never been my favorite part of the month, especially since I didn't experience the Human's need to menstruate, and I was not looking forward to it. In a way, the full moon, for me, was much like a human woman's period, only much, much worse.

"Would you like to join us in the Run?"

My eyes widened in the slightest, and I shot my eyes toward the Alpha, who was regarding me curiously.

Though, contrary to popular belief, a full moon didn't force the self-proclaimed werewolves to shift, it did tend to make them a bit antsy and temperamental, which, for younger, more unstable shifters, tended to spell disaster. The Elders, long ago in the time of Ephraim Black, put in place a nightly run for the three days of the full moon where the pack would gather and hunt or spar - anything to pass the time, really - as a means of burning off their unnecessary nerves. It had been named, simply enough, the Run, and even today, the wolves stuck to it's tradition.

It had been many many years since I had participated in a Run, since the ritual was undertaken quite seriously and typically only strictly involved pack members. As an outsider - for, no matter how close I was to the wolves, I was an outsider - to be invited to a pack's Run was a great honor, and I couldn't help but feel proud Sam had considered me worthy.

"I would be honored, Sam," I said honestly, just in time for the bonfire and the shapes of the wolves and Elders to come into view.

Sam nodded, giving me a very slight smile before he headed off to join his pack-mates, and I decided it was time to seek out Charlie. I wasn't all that surprised to see him heading toward me, his weathered face showing his mild exhaustion.

"I'm about to head back to the house," he muttered as we met each other half-way, and I nodded.

"I don't know how long I'll be. I still have matters to discuss with the Council so don't wait up."

"Alright. I'll see you in the morning, then." Together, we had made our way back to Sue and my son gently took Leland in his arms. She never shifted once, and I placed a soft kiss both on her forehead and Charlie's cheek.

"Night Sweety," I murmured in return, patting his arm. "Drive safe," He smiled slightly and turned without another word, heading back through the darkness toward the Black's house and the car.

The distance from the bon fire back to the car wasn't a great one, but I was still slightly hesitant letting him go alone. My protective instinct screamed against letting my children brave the darkness alone, and I knew it was a foolish fear. La Push was safe, perhaps one of the safest places for them in the state, and Charlie could more than take care of himself. He was, after all, the son of a shifter and a police officer.

Didn't change anything, though. I still didn't like it.

Sue, God bless her, noticed my struggle as I watched the retreating form of my son and daughter, and patted my arm. "We'll accompany him," she soothed, giving me a motherly smile, "It's time I got Seth home anyway."

I smiled gratefully, feeling more at ease with the thought of one of the wolves, no matter how young or inexperienced, walking with Charlie. With my nod, and a quick, gentle hug, Sue and Seth followed after Charlie, and I turned my attention toward the Elders, who were waiting for me.

**X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.**

The glow of the dying fire light my face as I stared blankly into it's faintly flickering flames. I was lost inside my own mind, going over everything the Elders had told me, over and over and over again as if, just by replaying the information I had learned as many times as possible, I could change something.

Needless to say, our conversation hadn't gone very well. All they did was confirm everything Sue had already told me, highlight the terms of the treaty and command me not to break it.

Thats what pissed me off the most. How dare those old men _command _me to do anything. Me! I had been alive longer than their parents, and those senile bastards had the nerve to tell me to do anything. I had half a mind to beat the living hell out of every one of them, and if it wasn't for my love and respect for Sue and Billy, they would all be in a world of pain.

Okay, probably not.

Don't get me wrong, I was pissed. Totally, completely and absolutely pissed. But, despite my anger, I had known the assholes practically their whole lives. They were the fathers of my friends, the patriarchs of the tribe, and I respected them. They were only trying to look out for their people, and I could understand that.

Besides, I made it perfectly clear that they wouldn't be commanding me to do anything...ever. They could request, ask, plead...I don't care. But _no one_ tells me to do anything. No one. I wasn't one of their dogs they could order around.

The silence, only interrupted by the cracking of the fading fire and the roll of the waves, was soothing, but it did little to ease my frantic thoughts.

"So I take it your meeting with the Elders didn't go over well," A familiar tone asked from behind me. I smiled, slightly, straightening my spine and leaning my neck from side to side, pleased with the loud crack it prompted.

"How'd you tell?" I asked, not bothering to turn. I didn't need to look around to know that, besides my current company, we were alone. The Elders had long ago dispersed, bidding their good nights soon after our talk. The pack soon followed, until about thirty seconds ago, I had been alone with my thoughts.

Soon enough, a very warm body settled itself at my side. I turned to take in Leah's ragged appearance, from the dirty tank top and jean shorts to her short, greasy raven locks and the dark, purple circles under her eyes. Her eyes focused on the fire and she mimicked my earlier position, her elbows resting on her knees and her hands clasped in front of her.

"I know you pretty damn well, Bell," she said softly, almost inaudibly.

"That you do."

"I don't like it any more than you do." Leah nearly whispered after a pregnant silence, and I nodded.

"I know..." She wasn't lying when she said she knew me well, but I knew her well too. "You blame them."

She wasn't surprised by my statement, but she did scoff. "I can understand Sam, Jared, Paul, Quill and Jacob shifting...they were needed. The nomad was a danger to all of us. But the rest of us...Seth...It's their fault. We wouldn't have felt the call in our blood if those fucking bloodsuckers hadn't showed up. They ruined everything."

Her tone was bitter, harsh, and I didn't blame her. She was right...

Three years ago, the original five had shifted to keep their people safe from a wandering nomad, and they had come to terms with the fact that it was who they were, that they were supposed to protect their people from such threats. But these Cullens, they weren't just wandering nomads. They weren't, supposedly, a danger. They had come to Forks purposely, and were planning on staying. If they had never come, Leah wouldn't have shifted. She wouldn't have been the cause of her father's heart attack. She wouldn't have to relive her own personal pain every single day as she listened to Sam's thoughts of Emily.

"I'm sorry, Leah." I said, as sincerely as I felt and, for the first time in many many months, she actually looked at me.

"What do you have to be sorry about? It's not your fault those leeches ruined my life. It's not your fault I killed my own father. It's not your fault Sam Imprinted on Emily." She spat the words like they were poison, and I knew she needed to get them out.

"No," I said softly, "It's not. But it's my fault I wasn't here for you." I wanted to say so much more. I wanted to tell her it wasn't her fault Harry was dead either, or that her blood carried the wolf gene. I wanted to tell her that it wasn't her fault she had lost her fiance and her best friend all in one fail swoop, but I knew she wouldn't believe me, and my denial would only make her even more angry.

She smiled, sadly, and I could see the understanding mixed with bitterness in her deep chocolate eyes. "That's not your fault either. You were just following their trail."

"Perhaps," I said slowly, turning my gaze back to the flames. "But I shouldn't have gone. You needed me...I just ran away. I should have been there for you." My own guilt weighed heavily on my shoulders, and, though I knew it was foolish, I felt responsible for her change too.

The logical part of my mind knew that her shift wasn't my fault. The Cullens' arrival had awakened the beast in her blood, but I couldn't help but feel like, maybe if I had been here, I could have changed something. I could have prevented her and Seth from shifting. It was foolish to think as such; The Cullens were at fault. Their presence was the reason for her shift, not my absence. But I still felt the guilt crushing me.

"No. You were right to go. I over-reacted...I..." she paused, her face clenching in an expression of hurt I had grown to know much too well. "I shouldn't have said those things before you left. I know what catching James and Victoria means to you, and I shouldn't have been selfish."

Despite myself, I couldn't help but laugh, but the sound was mirthless and bitter. Everything she had said to me that night had been true. I _was _a coward, and I _was _pathetic. She was just the only one that had the balls to say it to my face. I used Hunting as an excuse to escape my life. I had been doing it for years, ever since Leland's birth. Whenever things got too hard or too much for me to handle, I ran off to track some Vampire down, and Leah had called me on it when no one else would have dared.

Just when she was starting to get too close, my insecurities had returned and I had run for the hills as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

"We both know you were right."

"Maybe," Leah drawled with a small smile, turning to face me, "But at least, now, we can be pathetic together."

I laughed again, in sharp contrast to the last time, amusement sparkling in my eyes, and her own light chuckling joined mine. "Indeed."

We spent a few more moments in comfortable silence, neither saying what was on our minds, but both of us understanding the silent messages lingering in the air. It was serene, watching the shifting waves reflect the moonlight, and I let my mind drift to simpler things. For the first time since I had gotten home, I felt at peace.

That is, until Leah abruptly stood, startling me out of my trance-like state. She flashed me a smug smile and I glowered at her.

"Come on," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. My brow furrowed in confusion, and she elaborated. "Lets run together."

I smiled, understanding as I took her tanned hand in my own and, together, we loped toward the dark, foreboding woodlands. But, we had nothing to fear. We would be the predators to stalk the night.

**Parting Words; **So, this will be the last you see of Leah for a little bit, but I really wanted to introduce her and show a little of her relationship with Bella. Don't worry, she'll be back in good time!


	6. Chapter 6

I strolled into the garage, absentmindedly adjusting the hem of my black Skillet band t-shirt before smoothing it down across my jeans. My face was set into a scowl, my eyes glaring from side to side. Soon enough, they found Jake rummaging around in the corner of his garage, most likely looking for some random car part, and I didn't bother with a greeting as I plopped down on the workbench with a huff.

Though I knew he was well aware of my presence as soon as I even got close to the garage, Jake only then acknowledged me, turning dark brown concerned eyes in my direction. He seemed surprised at my appearance, his eyes widening in the slightest, but he said nothing about my clothing.

He knew that Leland and I made Charlie take us shopping a few days before for school clothes, and I had tried to keep it as simple as humanly possible. Don't get me wrong, when I wasn't Hunting, I stuck to casual clothes, but my idea of casual clothes consisted of tank tops or sports bras and sweat pants or gym shorts - a habit the wolves seemed to have inherited from me, unfortunately. Besides, when you life pretty much consisted on constantly being on your guard, in your down time, you didn't wear clothes that you actually cared about getting ripped to shreds. I went through a lot of clothes pretty quickly, so I didn't tend to bother with jeans and t-shirts.

Needless to say, it had been a while since I had worn either.

"What's wrong, Bells?" Jake asked, keeping his voice light and peppy in an attempt to cheer me up. I was grateful he decided not to comment on my evident change of apparel, but it would take more than over-enthusiasm to get my spirits up.

"Nothing," I muttered darkly, my eyebrows drawing down over my eyes as I crossed my arms across my chess like a petulant child.

He chuckled, shaking his head at my immaturity. "They why do you look like someone kicked your puppy?"

I looked at him oddly, my eyes trailing up and down his gargantuan form, and he tilted his head to the side curiously. "You look fine to me, Jake. Besides, your much too big and intimidating for someone to even think about kicking you and, if someone did, please tell me it was Paul so I have an excuse to kick his ass."

A wide grin crossed his face, and he chuckled lowly in his chest. "There's my girl."

I couldn't help my smile even if I wanted to, but that had been the reason why I had decided to visit Jake. He could always make me feel better, no matter what. "I'm not your girl," I grumbled regardless, fighting to keep the evidence of my amusement from my face and my eyes, even as my lips twitched like mad from the force of my restrained smile.

"You'll always be my girl," He said playfully, but we both knew there was truth behind his statement. Next to Charlie, Jake would always be the most important man in my life and, until he Imprinted, I would be the most important woman in his. I was his girl just like he was my boy, even if it wasn't in a romantic sence.

"So, really. Why are you upset?" He asked after a few seconds of comfortable silence, concern replacing the playfulness in his voice.

"School starts back tomorrow." I grumbled darkly, my rising mood quickly falling once more.

"Oh..." There was a very long, pregnant silence, and neither of us really needed to say anything. We both knew why I was upset, and neither of us seemed willing to broach the topic. Tomorrow, I would have to be in the same building as the Cullens, who happened to be a species that I had dedicated my life to destroying.

Oh Joy.

"I have a surprise for you," Jake said out of nowhere, his grin turning into a suspicious mix between smug and mischievous. I was on guard because of his drastic mood shift, one eyebrow raising as he winked. "Close your eyes, Bell."

I shook my head vehemently. "Oh hell no. The last time you told me to close my eyes and I trusted you, I ended up covered in yellow paint. There is no way in hell I'm ever doing that again."

Jake laughed, his torso shaking and the booming sound echoing off of the garage's metal walls, but I didn't think it was so funny. His little prank wasn't one of my fonder memories, and it had taken me three weeks to get all that fucking yellow paint out of my hair. And every single day of that three weeks, when I wasn't in the shower digging dried paint particles from my brown locks, I was kicking his ass. Apparently, he hadn't learned his lesson.

I loved Jake and trusted him with my life, don't get me wrong, but I would never trust him with my eyes closed again.

"Come on, Bella. No paint this time, I swear. It's a good surprise. You'll like it, trust me. And, if you don't, you can beat me up," he offered with a suggestive smile, as if his little bargain would entice me to take him up on his offer.

He was wrong.

"No, Jake. I can beat you up whenever I want already. I have Billy's written permission, legal and binding." His face fell and his smirk made it's way onto my own face.

"Please, Bells. You'll love it...please..." Damn. He was using the fucking puppy eyes. He knew I couldn't resist those. They were nearly as potent as Leland's and, in the thirteen years since he had first started using that pout on me, as a little boy, it had only gotten better.

Thirteen years is a lot of time to perfect a pout...

I groaned, throwing my head back in exasperation as my smug grin was replaced with a grimace. A bright smile cracked his face with his victory, and his eyes were wide and sparkling with excitement. "Fine, Jake, but I swear to God..."

I didn't even get to finish my threat as he cut me off with a wave of his hand. "Trust me, Bells. Now close your eyes. I'll tell you when to open 'em."

With a sigh, I resigned to my fate and did as I was told. Only a few seconds passed before I heard movement, the sound of rustling fabric mixing with that of metal clinking together, and I wanted to badly to open my eyes, just a crease, and see what my werewolf best friend was up to.

Jake knew me all too well, because not a second after the thought passed my mind, I heard his deep voice, dripping with amusement, off to my right. "You better keep your eyes closed, Isabella."

I sighed, but did as told, and the same sounds continued until, a few moments later, I was given permission to open my eyes. The sight that met them made me gasp.

Positioned in front of me was my beloved MZ 660 Baghira Black Panther motorcycle, back from the dead.

I couldn't help the tears that welled in my eyes as I looked at my baby. That bike had been like a third child to me. It had been a gift from Charlie, fresh off the line, and I knew it had cost him a small fortune, considering they weren't even sold in America. He had given it to me the day Leland had been born, and I had reacted, quite embarrassingly, like a child on Christmas. It had been love at first sight.

About eighteen months ago, I had taken her to Oregon where I had tracked down a Vampire. He had ambushed me, which was incredibly stupid on my part since I should have been more alert, and my beloved bike had been the cost of my stupidity. The bastard had been a particularly feisty one, but once he picked up my baby and hurled her at me, resulting in her being rammed into the pavement and completely totaled, it had become purely personal, and I had taken great pleasure in ripping him apart. I was certain my bike was done for, and after Charlie came to pick me up, she had sat in the back of the shed gathering dust. It was just too painful to get rid of her. Apparently, Jake had put her back together.

"How...how long?" I stuttered, barely managing to get that full sentence out as I turned my watery eyes toward my best friend.

"I've been working on it all year. A good part of the body had to be replaced, as well as the fuel tank, suspensions and the engine, along with a few random parts here and there. It almost cost more to fix that she's worth, but I know what she means to you so..." he trailed off, caressing the body with a tender hand. "I was going to wait and give her to you on your birthday, but I decided now was an ever better time."

Without any further adue, I hurled myself at him. He laughed joyously but wrapped in my his strong arms nonetheless, and it took everything I had not to let the tears spill from my eyes.

What? Isabella Marie Swan does _not _cry. I'm much too bad ass for that.

"Oh my God, Jake! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" I squealed like a girl, tightening my arms around him almost desperately.

I said I didn't cry, not that I wouldn't subject myself to embarrassing fangirl squeals.

"Bells...Can't...breath..." he rasped. I gasped, releasing my hold on him and jerking back, eying him with concern.

"Sorry!"

He laughed again, sucking in a slightly labored breath. "No big, Bells," he wheezed before handing me a shiny, and very familiar, silver key.

I snagged it from his hand, bouncing excitedly to my baby and straddling her with ease and confidence that only comes from a lot of practice. The key was gingerly placed in the engine and, with a sharp twist, she roared to life, the gentle purr of the engine beneath my legs bringing a splitting smile to my lips. I couldn't resist revving the accelerator, and smiled even wider as she hummed beneath me. She was perfect...As I took the time to look over her, I noticed the modifications Jake had made.

Her body was all black, just as she had always been. She had chrome detailing and was fit with tires that specialized in both on and off road driving. The engine was a slick, almost silent running, water-cooled, fuel-injected masterpiece of all round engineering, having the sort of lowdown punch that many a Ducati owner can only dream about. She had a six-speed transmission and I could push her to an easy 140 miles per hour without barely shaking her frame. Her fuel capabilities reached almost 200 miles on a single tank, and Jake had added a greater suspension, giving her a bit more height. Four cylinders, weather resistant high gloss paint, flat handlebars, nice comfy saddle for two grown adults...and I got all that on just a quick examination; I couldn't wait to look around inside her (yeah, that's what she said...). All of this brought me to one conclusion, though.

She was a fucking _beast_.

Apparently, though, sometimes in the middle of my inspection, I had taken to caressing the gas tank affectionately, and Jake was watching me with his arms crossed over his -for once - shirt covered chest and a smug smile on his lips.

"Should I leave you alone for a minute?" he teased, but I was so happy I couldn't even manage a convincing glare. "When's the wedding?"

"Oh shut up," I snapped, trying to force my voice to sound harsh, but the smile tugging at my lips gave me away.

Jake tossed his head back and laughed. "Well, what are you waiting for! It's been almost a year since she's been driven!"

As much as my body was itching with delight at the prospect of pulling my baby onto the road and letting all those horses loose, I couldn't help but feel bad that my visit had been so short. My best friend, God save him, noticed my inner struggle, and he grinned, stepping forward to clap me on the back.

"It's okay, Bells. Go ahead. Besides, Charlie has the other part of your gift back at the house." My eyes light up at the prospect of even more wonderfulness, and I suddenly couldn't wait to get home. "Just come see me tomorrow after school."

I nodded and, without another word, backed my baby out of the garage and onto the driveway. I gave revved the throttle again, giving Jake a brilliant smile before I released the clutch and shot down the driveway, my joyous laughter drifting behind me.

**X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.**

The shrill screaming of an alarm clock down the hall interrupted my process of picking out an outfit, something, mind you, that I had never had any problems with before. I suspected Charlie was just waking up, especially from the groan that accompanied the faster heartbeat my keen ears heard coming from his bedroom. A moment later, the shrill noise stopped, and shuffling followed.

With a sigh, I turned my attention back to my closet, deciding on a pair of light-wash skinny jeans, my black Ungrateful Dead t-shirt and a pair of red converse. I donned a matching black lace set of undergarments, the bra perking up my girls perfectly before I slipped on the rest of my clothing quickly.

My hair was ruffled, unruly from sleep, but it gave me an edgy look, so I decided to leave it be. I grabbed my eye-liner pen, the only make-up I ever really bothered to wear, and after I had applied it to satisfaction and gave myself another once over in the mirror, with a sharp nod, I headed downstairs.

Charlie was already in the kitchen, rummaging around as he waited for the coffee to finish. He was already dressed in his uniform, looking sharp and professional as always.

"I thought I told you to let me start making the coffee?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

He jumped and whirled, his eyes betraying his surprise and one hand reaching for the Glock at his side. A smirk joined my arched brows, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Jesus Christ, Bells, don't do that."

I didn't question him calling me by my name. We had both agreed the night before that he should start getting in the habit, even in privacy, of calling me by my name instead of 'Mom', though I blatantly refused to call him 'Dad'. Besides, plenty of parents called their parents by their first name, and if he got to call me Bella, I most defiantly got to call him Charlie.

Not to mention the fact that calling my son 'Dad' brought about a whole lot of unpleasant thoughts I didn't need...and if you can't see where I'm going with this, I'm defiantly not going to elaborate.

I just shrugged, though, and moved toward the frig, pulling out the carton of eggs and a pack of bacon and sausage. "Who's coming to stay with Leland?"

Since we couldn't really put my little girl in Daycare, someone usually came to stay with her during the day while Charlie was at work. Today would be no different.

"Sue's going to come and get her before I leave for work...take her down to the reservation."

I nodded, and we spent the next thirty minutes in silence as I made breakfast, whipping up enough pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage to feed a small army, and Charlie went to wake Lee while I set the table.

She came into the kitchen rubbing her eyes, still dressed in her Disney Princess night-gown. Her hair, much like mine, was mussed and out of place from sleep, and she gave a mighty yawn and shuffled toward me with her arms held out. I smiled brightly and obliged her, pulling her into my arms, one supporting her bottom..

"Did you sleep okay, Baby Girl?" I asked as I gently brushed an unruly lock of hair from her face.

She nodded and buried her face in my neck. "Are you gonna stay with me again today, Momma?"

I had been staying at home with her all week while Charlie was a work, and we had done everything from coloring to watching cartoons to playing hide-and-seek. I had even taken her to the beach down at La Push, giving us both some time to spend with the pack. It felt good, being able to get out of the house without people asking who I was, and it was even better being able to spend so much time with my daughter.

So, I hated to break her heart.

"Not today, Sweety. I have to go to school. Aunt Sue is going to come spend the day with you," I said as gently as I possibly could.

"But Momma, I don't want you to go to school," she whined.

Charlie and I both chuckled softly. "Trust me, neither do I, Lee." I rubbed her back for a bit before setting her on her feet and giving her a gently as I could toward the table. "Eat your breakfast before it gets cold, baby."

Charlie and I talked about trivial things as we ate, myself putting away most of the food, while Leland stooped in her depression and I tried not to feel bad. After we were done, I did the dishes while Charlie and Leland settled on the couch watching cartoons, and soon enough, it was almost time for me to leave.

I slipped the padded black leather biker's jacket, part of Charlie's gift the night before, over my t-shirt and slung my backpack over my shoulders. Charlie intercepted me, and I already knew what was coming.

"Bella...I know that you don't want to do this..." he paused, gathering his words. They had never been his strong point, and I gave him the time he needed. "Just, try to stay out of trouble, okay?"

I smiled innocently. "You expect me to get into trouble?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "Just...no fights, no brawls, no...shifting..."

I scoffed at that one, looking at him like he was crazy.

"Don't look at me like that...you know what happens when you lose your temper. Just keep it under wraps, okay?"

"Charlie," I reassured, "I know how to keep her under control. Besides, I hunted last night, so I'll be fine."

He nodded, but still looked slightly worried. Sure, I had hunted, and that usually helped to keep my baser instincts, as well as my beast, better under control, but we both knew that, the closer it got to the full moon, the more antsy and temperamental she got. As it was, the full moon was only a few nights away, and I had hunted last night in an effort to keep the animal calmer. So far, it was working, but God only knew what could happen once I got into a school full of hormonal teenagers and vampires.

"I know you're control is strong, but just be careful. The last thing we need is you losing your temper because of some vampires or horny kids."

"Charlie, don't worry so much. I'll be fine."

With that and a kiss to my little girl's head, as well as a promise that she would behave for Sue, I headed outside, hopped on my bike, and headed toward the school.

**X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.**

The roar of the powerful engine reverberated across the parking lot, turning every eye toward me as I pulled into the closest open parking space. Through the dark visor of my sleek black helmet, which had been part of the gift Charlie had given me last night, along with the black padded leather biker's jacket I currently wore, I could see the shocked expressions on every student's face. As I kicked down the kickstand, I took the time to look around at the humans gawking unabashed; I swear, human teenagers have no sense of decency these days.

I wasn't surprised to find most everything I set my eyes on to be ordinary; The cars the students drove were hand-me-downs or older models, the students themselves were dressed in nothing particularly noteworthy, just general jeans and t-shirts like my own attire. A few wore decent enough blouses or loud, colorful rain jackets, but it seemed like most of the Forks High student body just wanted to blend in, which was great for me.

The smell of vampires was thick in the air, but I didn't see them anywhere in the vicinity...they were probably already inside the building, which was just fine with me. It meant I didn't have to deal with them just yet. I was already grouchy enough about having to go to school, so adding vampires into the mix this early in the morning wasn't a very good idea.

Surprisingly, though, the smell of the bloodsuckers was - dare I say it - pleasant. Usually, the sickeningly sweet stench was overpowering, making you want to gag with it's potency, much like rotting fruit. But the scent I caught on the air was sweet, but not overpowering. Perhaps it was their diet that lessened the intensity of their scent to me.

Still, I pushed the matter to the back of my mind even as I slung my leg over the back of my bike and turned off the engine. I slipped the key, accompanied on a keyring by my house key, into my pocket. In one fail swoop, I pulled the helmet off and shook my head, letting my mahogany locks fall on their own accord, and a collective gasp rang throughout the parking lot.

If I didn't have everyone's attention before, I sure did now.

"Ugh, what a show off," One student whispered.

"That's fucking hot..." Another, a male, added.

"Is that the new student? Chief Swan's daughter?"

"Holy shit, boys. That one's mine."

At that comment, I turned my eyes toward the one that had spoken. He was gathered in a group of other teenage boys, all blatantly starting with lust in their eyes. He looked like the typical All-American boy; blond hair, blue eyes and a boyish face, and his claim on me was amusing.

Our eyes met and he blushed slightly but flashed me a smile I'm sure he thought was charming. To me, though, it came off as more of an unattractive grimace. I smirked, passing him a wink that caused his blush to deepen. Ignoring the drooling student's around me, my eyes locked with the blue-eyed boy, I slowly unzipped my jacket, revealing my black Grateful Dead t-shirt.

"Oh yeah, she want's me," he muttered to his friends, and I resisted the urge to smile at his gullibility.

High School students were too easy.

I smirked, looking away from my admirer to place my helmet on one of the handlebars, adjusted my backpack, and headed toward the front office.

Ready or not, Forks High School, here I come...

**Parting Notes;** Just one more chapter until the inevitable Alice x Bella meeting! I know you guys have been waiting for it, and thanks for sticking in there and being patient. I have no doubt that the next few chapters will be a wild and exciting ride, so buckle down my dears! The real fun is about to start! Oh, and there's a link on my account with Bella's motorcycle, if you guys wanna see how sexy it is! ;D With much love, Luxor.


	7. Chapter 7

A chill breeze followed me inside as I stepped into the office. The wind whistled in protest as the closing door cut it's conquest of the warm room short, even as I took a moment to observe my new surroundings.

The room was small and somewhat Spartan, but I didn't expect much from a High School Administration office, truthfully. Two small couches with a coffee table placed strategically in the middle - the surface littered with old magazines - sat off to one side, acting as a small waiting area. The other side was decorated with a large trophy case, showcasing the school's academic and extra-carricular acheviements. I had to say, they were rather pathetic. Only a few 1'st place and championship trophies sat in the case, and even those were from years and years before.

I really shouldn't have been suprised.

Directly in front of me stood the main desk, the top littered with papers or baskets labled with bright, obnoxuious sticky notes. Behind the desk sat an older woman, her ginger hair pulled back into a neat bun and her complexion dotted with pale freckles. She was slightly overweight, and her 'professional' dress looked like it came straight off the 'old lady' rack at Sears.

As the door behind me closed, she looked up, giving me a welcoming and warm smile. I did my best to return it, though my own attempt failed and came off looking more like a grimace, and stepped up to the counter. The faint sounds of heartbeats and breathing came from behind Mrs. Cope, as her nameplate read, and I didn't doubt the rest of the administrative staff was busy shuffling through their own paperwork.

"Hello dear," Mrs. Cope greeted with another smile, "How may I help you?"

This time, my smile was a success and I inwardly chuckled at the dazzled look that came over the woman's face. "Good Morning," I returned with perfect manners, "I'm the new student here. I was hoping to pick up my schedule?"

"Oh! Oh yes!" She stuttered after a silent moment and my lips curved upwards into a smirk. "You must be Isabella Swan." Her whole face light up as she said my name, and I had to resist the urge to groan.

Great...Just great...I haven't even officially started school, and I could already tell that this day was going to be hell, if everyone reacted to me like darling Mrs. Cope.

Yaaay!

(In case you didn't catch on, that was sarcasm...)

Anyway. I nodded slightly to her inquisition. "Yes Ma'am."

"Oh wonderful! I have your schedule right here," She began, pulling a paper with my schedule printed on it almost out of thin air. I was impressed... "And here is a map of the school. I took the liberty of hightlighting the easiest routs for you to take to each class," Of coarse she did... "But if you get lost, don't hesitate to ask a fellow student or a member of the faculty. I'm sure anyone would be happy to help you."

Oh, I know they would be. A smile, a bat of the eyelashes, and I could have them showing me where pretty much anything was. I was just that good.

"Lastly, I need each of your teachers to sigh this slip and you to return it to me by the end of the day."

I took the papers she held out to me, dazzling her with another breathtaking smile. "Thank you for your help, Mrs. Cope. I'll see you at the end of the day!" With a wave, I turned and once more pushed past the doors, my eyes focused on the schedule in my hands.

**First Hour English**

Teacher: Mr. Mason

Room B215

**Second Hour Government**

Teacher: Mr. Jefferson

Room C212

**Third Hour Trigonometry**

Teacher: Mr. Varner

Room C116

**Fourth Hour Spanish**

Teacher: Mrs. Rodrigues

Room D107

**Fifth Hour**

Lunch

**Sixth hour Biology 2**

Teacher: Mr. Banner

Room C218

**Seventh Hour Art**

Teacher: Mrs. Milsap

Room A102

**Eight Hour Gym**

Teacher: Coach Clapp

Gym Building

Gym. Oh Joy, what a way to end the day. Because, after dealing with Vampires, horny teenage boys and jealous teenage girls, sweaty humans and ridicilous excuses for team sports were just what I needed to end the day.

I heaved a disgruntled sigh and trudged my way toward my first class, not at all excited to begin this so called adventure called High School. The last time I had been to school had been many decades ago, and I suspect things had changed quite a bit and, if it had been horrid then, I could only imagine what it was like now.

I shudder to think.

I found my first class room with relative ease, but the second I crossed the threshold, all eyes turned toward me. Mr. Mason, my instructor, was sitting at his desk, staring at me with a slightly gaping mouth and shock in his eyes. Heaving a sigh and summoning my confidence around me like an invisible cloak, I strutted up to his desk and flashed my most brillinat smile. He blinked a few times, trying to summon his wits.

"Hello. My name is Isabella Swan, but please call me Bella for short. I'm in this class, and Mrs. Cope instructed me to have my teachers sigh this form for me," I began in my most charming voice as I haded over afore mentioned form, smiling victoriously at the shell-shocked expression on his face.

A few moments passed in utter silence, the class so quiet you could have heard a pin drop as loudly as a bomb, and still Mr. Mason continued to stare at me like an idiot. The animal inside me growled impatiently, and I cleared my throat in an attempt to break him from his creepy stalker trance.

"Uh...Oh! Yes," He stammered, grabbing the slip from my hand. He signed the first line available and handed the brightly-colored paper back before clearing his throat and nodding his head toward the only empty desk in the class. "Please, take a seat."

I didn't need any more motivation, quickly taking my seat. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the teenage boy beside me eying me in awe. Of course, I couldn't resist a small smirk.

Class went on. Mr. Mason droned on about some work of literature we would be studying, as well as the syllabus, class rules and the components of our grade. Truthfully, I don't know what I was execting, but school was a hell of a lot more boring than I remembered.

After what seemed like a very large eternity which I filled with random and completly pointless doodles on the paper I was supposed to be raptly taking notes on, the bell rang. And, seriously, not a moment too soon. I think if I sketched pikachu one more time, I would go insane.

But of coarse, that wasn't the least of my problems. Almost as soon as the bell rang, the boy at my side just _had _to introduce himself.

"Hi. I'm Eric Yorkie. You must be Isabella Swan." He held out a hand, expecting me to shake, and I cringed. There was no way that hand was coming anywhere near me...God only knows where it's been. And what the hell did this idiot think? I had introduced myself to the teacher in a completly silent class room. He knew I was Isabella Swan, just like he knew I prefered to be called Bella.

Idiot.

Instead of shaking his hand, I gave him a small, pained smile, which he beamed at. "Yes, but please call me Bella." Together, we stood and gathered our books, and he stayed close by my side as we walked out the door and into the bustling hall ways.

Greeeeat.

"So, Bella, how are you enjoying Forks?" I could only imagine how many times I would hear that question today, but I smiled politly.

"Very well, thank you," I replied sweetly, studying my new stalker out of the side of my eye. He was on the short side for a guy, only about an inch or two than myself. His hair was long-ish, raven black and almost stringy, not to mention greasy enough to reflect the light. His eyes, which continuiously darted to me were a rich brown, boardering on black. He fit the goofy, chess club chiche down to a fold, and his entire demenor just screamed overly-helpful.

"So, do you need help finding your next class?" Point proven.

"No, thanks. I got it from here. Thanks for your help, though," I said slowly, a tone I often took with Leland as I tired to let her down gently. Eric's face turned down in a disappointed frown, but he nodded nonetheless.

"I'll see you later though, right? Maybe you'd like to sit with me and my friends at lunch?"

I considered this question closly, unsure whether I was horrified or pleased at the notion. On one hand, I could pratically picture his friends; a plethora of nerdy, acne-covered, glasses-and-high-water-pants-wearing dweebs all gathered around Eric - and me - discussing the theory of relativity popped into my head and I had to restrain a shudder.

On the other hand, I didn't relish the thought of sitting alone, though not because I was afraid of being lonely. I was naturally the lonely type, but if these so-called peace-loving vampires decided I was a threat - since they would no doubt be able to tell I wasn't human - perhaps sitting at a table full of humans might persuade them to reconsider acts of violence, at least for a little while.

Which brought me back to a negative. It was close to full moon, and my monster was already on edge, clawing at her cage. I was antsy and temptermental, and it would only take a very little push to turn that antsy and tempermental into out of control and unstable. That little push might just be sitting at a table full of children annoying me with questions and badgering me with gossip.

We continued toward my class in relative silence as I fought my internal battle. The buzzing whispers of curious students already beginning to gossip about me were easy to tune out, but the smell wasn't. A thousand different perfumes and colognes mixing with vampire stentch and body odor was not a very pleasant smell, I'll tell you now.

Finally, we arrived in C Hall, finding my class wasn't very hard, but something kept me from corssing the threshold. The smell of bloodsuckers was thick in that room, overpowering all others. My animal rattled against her cage with a feral roar of definace, wanting more than anything to rip her natural enemy to shreads. I didn't want anything more either, but now was not exactly the place to shift.

"Bella, are you okay?" Eric asked, obviously worried about my lack of movement and silence, a concern he had no right to feel. I wasn't a friend, family or in no other way intimatly connected to him. Why the hell should he care about if I'm okay or not? I was no concern of his, and I didn't need or want his worry.

The familiar tingling sensation that always came before I shifted crept up my spine, and I could almost feel my eyes darkening. Abruptly, I slammed them shut and balled my hands into fists, my breathing even as I fought to restrengthen my control and settle my body's ever-so-slight shaking.

Meanwhile, Eric's voice grew more frantic, and he even went so far as to place a hand on my shoulder and shake me slightly, but I tuned him out. I couldn't speak to him until I had my beast once more under a steel fist. It would be too easy for one little misplaced word to set me off.

After what seemed like a small eternity, the growling in my head all but ceased, my tense muscles relaxed and my clenched palms unravaled. I opened my eyes to see the nearly panicked face of my companion and had to resist the urge to giggle.

"Sorry, Eric. Sometimes I get these mild panic attacks and I just have to calm myself down until I have it under control," I lied smoothly. Eric breathed a sigh of reliefe.

"Wait, why were you having a panic attack?"

Damn nosy brat. "Government. I hate this class. History types never were my favorite classes and I dred the time of year when I have to take them."

The Asian boy chuckled, nodding his head in understanding just as the warning bell rang. "I better get to class. I'll see you at lunch?"

I heaved a sigh. "Yeah, sure." _Why not_, I added silently.

With that, Eric beamed a brilliant smile and turned, nearly skipping down the hall in his excitment. Maybe I shouldn't have encouraged him...?

Anyway, he was the least of my problems. The doorway before me loomed almost menacingly, mocking me with it's woodgrain and tacky cherry colored stain. Across that doorway, through that door, was my second period class, and my first class with a bloodsucker. I could smell him inside, thick and potent and sickening.

Oh well. Might as well get this over with. Taking a deep breath and steeling my control, I took a few determined steps forward. The Vampire's scent hit me like a brick wall, overpowering my senses. My eyes found him instantly, sitting in the very back and watching me curiously. Immedialty, my beast roared to life, her snarls echoing in the caverns of my mind.

_Shhh...easy, girl. _I soothed as best I could, but my instincts agreed with her. They were screaming at me to defend myself and my children from this threat.

_Kill. Enemy,_ Lykenia, my inner animal, snarled furiously.

_Not yet. Soon._ Almost as if he could hear my inner battle, the Vampire's eyes had gone from curious to intense, studying me like a scientist would a disease.

Lykenia continued to growl, albeit much more softly, and I took the much needed near-quiet to study my enemy. He was tall, even while sitting down, and I figured he would be at least a four or five inches taller than me. His hair was blond and framed his pale face much like a lion's mane. Golden eyes met mine without hesitation or fear, and my keen eyes managed to spot the scars that decorated his face, scars invisible to weak human eyes...Scars from vampire bites. Similar blemishes marred the pale perfection of his muscled arms and I could even see a few on his neck. This one was dangerous. One didn't get that many scars and was still standing without being a very competent fighter.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he likewise studied me, and I could tell just from the look on his face that he had noticed my own plethora of scars. It was likley that he had come to the same conclusion I had...I was dangerous, just like he was.

In the middle of our stare down, the teacher, Mr. Jefferson, swept into the room, a breifcase slung over his shoulder and a stack of papers in his hands. His eyes focused on me almost immediatly, the furrowing of his brow following. I smiled charmingly, stepping up to his desk.

"Hi. I'm Bella Swan, the new student here. This is my second period class, and Mrs. Cope wanted me to get my teachers to sign this form." As I had in my first class, I handed over the slip, he signed it, and handed it back. I was directed to sit next to Mr. Hale, and when Mr. Jefferson asked said student to raise his hand, I almost had a small heart attack when I saw a pale, scarred hand lift into the air and a pair of golden eyes reguarding me cautiously.

The smile I gave the instructor was pained, but I did as he asked nonetheless. The lecture began and, almost as soon as Mr. Jefferson began speaking, the vampire's golden head turned toward me. He was grimacing, though I suspected he meant it to be a smile.

"Hello. I'm Jasper Hale," He greeted in a polite, smooth voice. I didn't even turn to look at him as I sneered.

"Do us both a favor, leech, and keep your introductions to yourself," I snarled too softly for human ears. His eyes widened almost comically only to narrow a split second later. His body was stiff enough to iron on.

"What are you?" Jasper hissed. His face, however, reflected none of the aggression in his voice.

My eyes rolled in feight nonchelance, but the male's angry tone had Lykenia on the offensive. Her growls became more pronounced, my body tensed and my eyes narrowed. It took every ounce of self control not to launch myself at him across the desk and I was seconds away from my eyes flashing yellow.

He seemed to notice how my fingers were digging into the woodgrain of the desk. His eyes flicked to my whightened knuckles and clenched jaw and he visibly forced himself to relax. His mood seemed infections because, not a second later, I too felt myself relaxing and a wave of calm serenity wash over me. My strained breath released in a whoosh, my body sagged as the tension leaked from my muscles and my grip on the edge of my desk slackened dramatically.

I was confused, at first, especially when Lykenia calmed and ceased her straining against her confines, but realization soon dawned on me - he was the empath. I wanted to be angry that he had manipulated my emotions, but I knew how close I had been to losing control. Even then, I refused to awknowledge the gratefulness that filled me.

All of this, of course, happened to the ignorance of the humans around us...unobservant pathetic little roaches.

"Forgive me. I didn't mean to threaten you. I was simply...curious," Jasper whispered softly.

My jaw tensed slightly, but I nodded. "Thank you..." I whispered just as softly. As much as I hated being grateful to a fucking leech, I couldn't help but be. I owed him, whether I liked it or not. He looked puzzled, but I wasn't about to offer an explanation.

When none was forthcoming, he only nodded and turned his attention back to the front of the class. I followed his example, and we remained silent for the rest of the period.

As soon as the bell rang, he gathered his stuff and headed, quite quickly, for the door. I suspected he was going to tell his family about what had happened in class, which was just what I needed. A bunch of questions from a gang of vampires that may or may not feel threatened by my presence here in Forks. I was willing to wager they would be, though. I was, after all, threatened by theirs.

Anyway, my next two classes were pretty boring. Third period I had Trig. Ugh, I know, right? The class in itself, however, wasn't the bad part. The bad part was the fact that my teacher was by far the most boring so far in addittion to the most boring man I had ever met in my entire life...and I've met a lot of men. The worse part, though, was the annoying peppy little gossip queen that sat next to me asking me all kinda of question and yammering on about this guy she had a huge crush on and how excited she was about the upcoming dance.

Insert eye roll here.

Fourth period I had Spanish, which I had learned decades ago and spoke fluently. Once again, I was babbled nearly to death by said Gossip Queen, whom I learned was named Jessica and I was lucky enough to share two classes in a _row _with, only this time she decided to fill me in on all the big exciting news in Forks High. For instance...Like, Oh my God, I heard from Naomi, who is a friend of Theresa whos on the cheerleading squad that Michael totally went out with Casey Saturday night and they did it in the back seat of his car! OH MY GOD!

Cue another eye roll, please and, by the _mercy of God_ will someone give me a knife so I can slit my wrists?

I did my best to seem enthusiastic during her rambling. I nodded at all the right place, threw in a few fake 'Nuh-uh!'s but by the end of Spanish, my control was frayed. I wanted nothing more than to run away and sit in some dark, quiet corner, but we all know I'm not that lucky. Instead, Jessica invited me to sit with her, which happend to be at Eric's table - don't ask me how the hell those two sit at the same table. It's beyond me.

I was just glad I hadn't had any more vampires in my classes.

Jessica and I moved along the lunch line, me loading as much food as I possibly could without seeming like a complete freak onto my tray while she stuck with a small salad and an apple. Thank God I had a freakishly high metabolism. No normal human can survive on salads and apples. We took our seats at a large round table already occupied by Eric and a mousy looking girl. Jessica and I took two empty seats next to Angela and Eric beamed.

"Hi Bella!" He chirped, slightly startling the girl beside him.

She was around my height and build and had dark hair and eyes like my own. Her skin was tanned though, compared to my paleness, boardering on the bronze of my La Push companions. Square framed glasses sat on the bridge of her nose and her clothes were simple in both design and brand. A perfessional looking camera sat beside her tray and, from the cautious way she was eating, I could assume it meant a lot to her.

I smiled and waved to the excited teenager. He smiled so widely I feared his lips might split, even as he slung an arm around his companions side. "This is Angela, my girlfriend. Angela, this is Bella, the new kid."

Angela smiled indulgently at her boyfriend. "Yeah, Eric, I know. Hello Bella. It's nice to meet you," she commented as she turned toward me.

"You as well, Angela."

"So, you were the one riding that bike this morning, right?" A snotty, slightly nasal voice asked from behind me. We all turned to see a blond girl, eyeing me with a distaste that I completly reciptocated.

"That was me," I answered with a nod.

"That was you!" Jessica explaimed, "I heard about that in my first period! I just assumed it was a joke!" The blond girl, during Jessica's outburst, had taken the seat to her left.

"Don't act to suprised, Jess. She probably stole it from someone. She looks like the delinquent type," Blondie snarked.

If my self control wasn't so fryed and it wasn't so fucking close to the full moon, I might have laughted at her nerve. As it was, I could barely hold back the snarl rumbling in my throat.

"Lay off, Lauren," someone commanded off to the side. My head whipped around to see who dared to defend me when I could have easily defended myself, and the snarl died in my throat from suprise. All-American boy in all his glory strutted toward the table, a cocky grin on his lips and his eyes trailing my form like he wanted to devour me.

"Hey Mike!" Jessica piped.

Ah, so the guy she had a huuuuuge crush on was my greatest admirer, huh? Big suprise there. With the letterman jacket he wore accompanied with his boyish good looks and charm - which, thankfully, I seemed ammune to - he was no doubt Forks High's resident hearthrob.

Another boy, also wearing a letterman and african american in descent, trailed at Mike's side, and Super Bitch Lauren's eyes landed on him almost instantly while a smile claimed her lips. And the plot thickens, my friends. The pair took two of the three remaining seats, and I could tell All-American Mike was disappointed that there wasn't an empty seat beside me. Thank God I had decided to pop a squat next to Angela.

Many minutes passed as banter and light conversation was exchanged, consisting moastly of assignments and teachers they hated. I learned Mike's companion's name was Tyler, and Lauren was completly throwing herself at him while Jessica threw herself wholeheartedly at Mike. Angela and I remained moastly silent, but the two of us traded a few questions and I found myself taking an almost instant liking to her.

Despit myself, I was completly on guard. My eyes scanned the cafateria occassionally, seeking out the Cullens. Lykenia was moastly silent, but she paced the confines of her cage impatiently. I could tell she was just on edge as me. I wouldn't be able to relax until I knew where the leeches were, and neither would she.

Unfortunatly, you should be careful what you wish for. Only moments after the thought passed through my mind, the outside cafateria doors opened and a gust of wind brough the thick, suffocating scent of bloodsuckers to me. My eyes immediatly flicked toward the entrance, just in time to see a pair of vampires enter.

The first was a blond female. She was stunningly beautiful, the kind of beautiful that would make even models jealous. I don't think I've ever laid eyes on a more stunning woman my entire life. She was dressed to a tee, decked out in designer jeans, a creme colored cashmere sweater and expensive black leather stiletto boots. Her hair was lightly curled, which I assumed was natural, her form a perfect example of an 'hourglass figure'. Her lips were pressed into a thin line and her golden eyes were hard, all telling me one thing; She was a bigger bitch than Lauren.

Behind her trailed the biggest man I've ever seen. He seemed almost the complete opposite of the blond goddess. Though he was handsom, with sharply defined features and dark, slicked back hair dotted with a few unruly curls, his dress was simple and his demenor screamed laid-back. The large smile on his face and the mischevious twinkle in his eyes left me suspicious that he just might be a prankster. He was wearing worn, faded jeans and a t-shirt that looked a few sized too small while his large feet were encased in kacki Timberland work boots.

Jasper followed the giant at a distance, his face set into a mask of calm serenity, but the thin line of his lips and the tension lines that crinkled around his eyes spoke of his discomfort. From the lack of movement of his chest, I could only assume that he had trouble controling his thirst around humans and, being packed in a room full of them, he had stopped breathing to help control himself - I reminded myself to be extra attentive of him, since he seemed the most likly to slip up. While the male in front of him spoke of sheer brute strength, Jasper's smaller but heavily muscled and toned body screamed danger. The leonine vampire wore his fighting skill like an invisible cloak, and I couldn't help but long to go a few rounds with him just to test my abilities against his own.

Jasper's hand was held by a dark-haired female, her thumb lightly caressing his knuckles. I couldn't help but think the offer of comfort from his mate was sweet. The girl was slightly bigger than me and her features were exotic but not foreign. She had a childish look about her, but her innocence was offput by the skirk on her lips.

Behind her slinked a rather lanky male who, from the pack's descriptions, I knew was Edward, the mind reader. His hair was a strange bronze color and a complete tossled mess, and I could only imagine how much hair gel he used on it to keep it like that. Where the bear of a man was obviously built for muscle, Edward looked to be built for speed with Jasper coming in as an even mix of the two.

The last to enter captured my attention in a way none of the others had. She was small, fairy-like almost, and moved with a grace not even I possessed. She seemed to float above ground. Her steps were light and carefree and a soft, content smile pulled at the corners of her lips. Her eyes were a light butterscotch and somehow, the color fit her perfectly. Her nearly-black hair was cropped short and spiked in all dirrefent directions, defying gravity in a way that gave Edward a run for his money. And, Oh Dear God, did I mention she was gorgeous? Where Blondie was defiantly a looker, she had nothing on this pixie beauty.

"So, I see you've spotted the Cullens," Jessica said off to my side as the group glided to an empty table in the far corner. Her tone was amused, as if my blantant staring was almost expected. And, of course it was. They were Vampires, after all. Humans were supposed to be in awe of their beauty, and I was supposed to be a human.

"What are their names?" Though I was curious as to the names of the others, I only really wante to know the faerie's.

"The two blonds are Rosalie and Jasper Hale. They're Mrs. Cullen's neice and nephew. After their parents died in a car accident, they came to live with her. The really big guy is Emmett Cullen. He's dating Rosalie. The girl next to Jasper is Bree Tanner, a foster child, and she's dating Jasper."

"It's gross. Isn't there a word for people who date their family members?" Lauren cut in, her tone thick with disdain.

"It's called incest, but they're not actually blood related, Lauren," Angela added softly.

"Still...they live in the same house." There was something in Lauren's tone that made me wonder whether Emmett or Jasper had rejected her in favor for their mate. She obviously held a grudge against the vampire family and were looking for any feesible reason to hate them that she could, and I barely caught the guffaw growing in my chest before it burst out as I imagined the look on her face as either man blew her off in favor of their 'sister'.

"Anyway, next to Bree is Edward. He's too good to date anyone, though, so don't even think about it." I smiled at this, wondering just when Edward had spurned her advances. "Next to him is Alice Cullen. She's Bree's biological sister and a complete freak."

"Yeah," Lauren added with a sneer, "She's a dyke."

Across the lunchroom, I saw Alice's face clench slightly, and Jasper put a comforting hand on her shoulder. I couldn't help but be angry, both at Lauren, for her comment, and Jasper, for being able to comfort the girl.

_Why do you care_, I thought to myself, even as I spoke. "Is there a problem with that?" I asked the blond bitch a little too harshly that she intended. The whole table looked at me in slight shock, even as my eyes focused on the Cullens, who were also watching me, a range of emotion on their faces. Edward seemed put off by something as his eyes bored into mine, his brow furrowed and a scowl on his lips. Emmett and Bree both looked proud while Rosalie looked indiferent. I met Jasper's gaze and he smiled, winking to show his support. I couldn't tell whether I was grateful or annoyed. I never got to the one I wanted to look at most before Lauren caught my attention again.

"Uh, yeah. It's unnatural," Lauren shot back with narrowed eyes.

"Kinda like your hair color, huh?"

I smirked triumphantly at the indiginat look on her face. Soft laughter reached my keen ears from the Cullen table, but I was locked in a stare down with Lauren. It only took her a few moments before her eyes wavered and she broke eye contact, unwittingly showing her submission to my animal. Lykenia snarled in triumpth and my smirk widened.

"Alice Cullen is staring at you," Jessica whispered conspiratorily at my side.

Automatically, my eyes shot up to meet the pixie's and, in that instant, my world fell apart.

**Parting Words;** Okay guys, there it is! This chapter is kind of boring, granted, much like the first day of school but it was necessary. It kinda drones on, but hopefully it went out with a bang ;D The next chapter will be in Alice's point of view, so you have something to look forward to! I probably won't change POV very often, moastly because I don't usually like stories that change POV all the time, so I don't want to write one that does.

Anyway...REVIEWS ARE THE AIR I BREATHE! So, don't forget to leave one, yeah? ;D

Much Love, Luxor Nautalis


	8. Chapter 8

This can't be happening...

This _can't _be happening!

This _CAN'T _Be _HAPPENING_!

No! No, no, no, no, no!

I refuse. I refuse to believe this. There is no fucking way. This is all just a cruel joke...Okay, world, I got it! See! I'm laughing! Very funny!

But it wasn't a joke...no, this was completely real.

I was a mess. Emotionally compromised in every sense of the word. I've never been so at war with myself. I felt elated and disgusted, excited and terrified, hopeful and enraged all at the same time. And those were just a few of the emotions taking siege of my mind and body.

I wanted to hurt something. I wanted to kill something. I wanted the forest to burn...I wanted something else to be in chaos. So I did the only logical thing I could do...I went berserk. Limbs and branches were strewn around in various locations. Deep, viscous gouges decorated the trunks of more than one tree. A few random spruces had been ripped up from their roots, all testaments to my inner turmoil. I ignored the cuts on my knuckles from where I had pounded anything I could possibly reach - boulders, trees, the ground - relentlessly, as well as the splinters digging into the tender skin underneath my claws. They were unfortunate casualties, but would heal soon enough.

A feral roar ripped from my throat as I stood in the center of my destruction, my yellow, cat-like eyes burning. But not with rage. No, I had long ago worked out my anger, frustration and fear on the forest that lay in ruins around me, and it only left me with complete and utter disbelief and things much more complicated. But the only emotion I allowed myself to acknowledged was the disbelief.

I felt torn, conflicted. I wanted nothing more than to run back to that school, pull the pixie little vampire into my arms and never leave again. My body and my mind were screaming to do just that. Lykenia roared from behind her cage, pacing anxiously, just as off put at being away from her mate as I was. But I refused to. I wouldn't.

Which left me standing, in the middle of my destruction, palms hanging loosely at my sides an head bowed in resignation as my eyes shifted back to their typical chocolate brown and the elongated claws shortened to human finger nails.

I was screwed...so completely, utterly and epically screwed.

_I stared, enthralled, unable to look away even if I wanted to, and I certainty didn't want to. My jaw was hanging slack and I was sure I looked as if I was in a trance, but I couldn't force myself to look away. Neither, apparently, could she. Our eyes held fast, locked together in our own little world. _

_I had looked into the topaz eyes of the others, but none of them compared to hers. They were a warm molten gold, and they fit her perfectly. Her face was soft, less angular than the rest and the dark bruises underneath her eyes were just a tad lighter. Her skin was like pure silk, and I couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like underneath my finger tips. Her lips were perfectly conformed, full and luscious and I wanted nothing more than to kiss them, to taste them. _

_A bare second had passed as we stared into one another's eyes. A split second was all it took for my universe to fall apart and then, I heard a gasp. I knew it had come from my pixie and it seemed to jerk me back into reality. _

_"It's her..." She whispered, ever so softly. Her voice was by far the most angelic thing I've ever heard in my entire life. I could die with that musical voice ringing in my ears, and I would die the happiest person in the entire world. _

_At her whispered words, Jasper snapped his head to her in shock at an almost inhuman speed, his mouth forming a small 'o'. _

_"It's...her?" he asked, placing a hand on Alice's shoulder and staring intently at her face. The others seemed to collectively lean forward, staring at my pixie just as intently as Jasper. _

_"It's her," Alice confirmed, her eyes never leaving mine. _

_Lykenia purred in delight and I found myself mimicking her actions, my chest vibrating in a frequency too low for feeble human ears. But Alice heard it; her eyes light with utter happiness and a small smile curved her deliriously kissable lips. _My mate..._At Lykenia's purred declaration, realization hit me like a freight train. _

_Fuck. _

_I had just imprinted...in the middle of school...to a Vampire..._

_I had to get out. The walls seemed like they were closing in on me. My skin flushed and my heartbeat pounded in my ears relentlessly like the Indian drums of war. The world seemed to swirl and twist around me and I was finding that the lack of oxygen was becoming an issue, but no matter how hard I tried to breath in, I couldn't. It was like a giant vacuum had sucked all the air out of the room and I was left gasping like an idiot. _

_Around me, I could hear the frantic voices of my new friends, calling my name and asking if I was alright but I couldn't speak. Lykenia's purring had turned to feral snarls, willing me to go and claim my mate but I couldn't._

_So I did the only thing I seemed able to do. _

_I ran. I ran out of the cafeteria and out of the parking-lot, past my bike and into the woods. I ran toward the first place I could think of which was, ironically, the one place the Cullens were forbidden to go. I ran to La Push, and ever step I took away from her was almost painful. Lykenia's roars had only intensified and she struggled against her bonds to the point where I didn't know if I could hold her off a second longer. _

_But I forced myself to keep running. _

"Holy shit, Bella! What happened!" A familial tenor voice resonated behind me, jerking me from my thoughts. If I had been in my right mind at the moment, I might have heard him approach, but as it was, I flinched in surprise and whirled to come face to face with short cropped black hair, deeply tanned, ruggish features, a bare, very muscular chest, and brown eyes darker than my own.

Jacob Ephraim Black, my best friend.

Worry was etched into his tribal-like features as his dark eyes flicked from the fallen limbs to the felled trees and ravaged tree trunks. His mouth was slightly agape with shock at the destruction I had wrought, but, as his eyes once more met mine, I could see the understanding underneath the concern.

We all knew better than to let our anger get the best of us, and sometimes the forest, or other things, had to pay the price so innocent people didn't.

"Bella?" he said again, reaching up to grab my upper arms gently, his large hands all but engulfing my thin but muscular shoulder. Worry lines furrowed his brow even as he desperately searched my face for an answer to his silent questions. "What happened here? Are you okay? Were you attacked?" With his last inquiry, his eyes roamed my body, looking for any injuries only to be even more confused to find my skinny jeans and t-shirt impeccably in tact - a little dirty and covered in wood fragments, but intact nonetheless.

I scoffed, the corners of my lips twitching into a smile I just couldn't really allow right now. "No, Jake, I wasn't attacked," I answered slowly, calmly. He seemed to sag with relief, but he still seemed lost, and I decided to put him out of his misery. "I just...let my emotions get the best of me. I needed an...out."

He accepted my explanation with a soft smile. "I know it's close to the full moon, Bells, but what the hell happened to make you go crazy enough to do this," he questioned, waving a hand to indicate the ravaged forest around us. His voice held just a hint of sarcasm, and I was glad he was trying to lighten the mood, even if it didn't work. "I mean, come on, you have the best control out of any shifter I've ever seen."

"Yeah," I grumbled, turning my back to him and moving toward one of the felled trees, my own handiwork, before I plopped down on the trunk. Jacob was beside me only a few moments later, one meaty, muscular arm slung across my shoulders.

"What happened, Bells? Did something happen at school? Did someone make fun of you or something?"

At that, I full out laughed. One of those pathetic, prepubescent, hormonal teenage humans making fun of _me_? That was fucking _laughable_. Humans admired me, lusted after me, were jealous of me and longed to _be _me, but they never, _ever _made fun of me.

"Okay, so," Jake commented with a smile, "I'm guessing the 'made fun of' part is out."

"Yeah, no shit," I chuckled, rolling my eyes at just the concept of his stupid guess.

"So, then, what is it?" Silence. Jake sighed, pulling me closer to his side. "Come on, Bells. Somethings bothering you, and I want to help you. You know you can talk to me about anything..."

I saw his sigh and raised him an exasperated groan. The werewolf's brotherly was concern getting to me. I knew I could trust him...that wasn't even the issue. There was only a total of six people in the entire pathetic world I trusted, and Jake was one of the lucky ones on that list. But I still hesitated. How would he react? Would he be angry? Would be be supportive? Would he...pity me? God, I don't think I would be able to take his pity. I _hated _it when people pitied me. I didn't want or need it.

I guess there was no denying the inevitable...he would find out eventually, of that I was sure, and I would rather he hear it from me. But that still didn't mean that I didn't loath the words that were about to come out of my mouth.

"Jake, I..." I focused my eyes on a leaf at my feet, unable to look at him, but I couldn't continue. He squeeze my shoulder, giving me silent encouragement, and I heaved a sigh once more before trying again. "Today, at school, I...I...Imprinted." God, speaking that word was physically painful, and, oddly, it wasn't because I was disgusted. It was the swell of unwelcome and unbidden elation that was so powerful it hurt. And I hated it.

"Okay..." Jake said hesitantly after many moments of tense silence and I could practically hear the wheels in his head turning. "And is that such a bad thing that you had to destroy a hunk of innocent woodlands?"

I couldn't help but smile. He always knew what to say, no matter what mood I was in, to cheer me up. But he had a point. Was it really such a bad thing?

My eyes closed, and I could picture her angelic face, so perfectly proportioned. I couldn't help but think that, even as a human, she must have been exceptionally gorgeous. With her cute little button nose and perfectly full lips begging to be kissed. God, that black spiky hair, looking just like it might after spending all night having sex. And don't get me started on her perfect little body, the one that looked like it was made to fit next to mine with her smallish, but perky breasts, curvy hips and petite little legs that were begging to be wrapped around my shoulders as she rode my face. Yes, her body looked like it was made for me, but then again, technically, it was. The little pixie only _existed _to be mine.

But none of that compared to her soulful golden eyes. The warm molten visionaries sucked me in. They were perfectly expressive, showing off every emotion. I could still remember what they looked like when our eyes had locked, surprised, yet so inexplicably ecstatic, like she had been waiting her entire existence for me. Could Vampire's Imprint? I personally didn't see how that was possible, but I could have sworn, as soon as I stared into the brilliant honey eyes, that I saw her world fall apart just like mine was, and not in a bad way.

No! No, I wasn't thinking like this! I don't care if the 'Cullens' were vegetarians, or whatever the fuck they called it. I don't care if they only drain animals and walked around in society like they were actually people. I don't care! They were fucking Vampires, for Gods sake, and I only existed to destroy their kind! I would _die _before I fucked one of them, much less bonded to one!

"Um...Bells?" Jake asked softly, breaking me from my inner monologue and looking at me once more with concern. "You okay? I lost you for a second..."

"Yeah," I grumble, not really wanting to play 'show and tell' with my inner thoughts and emotions, at least not right now.

"Okay..." Jake said hesitantly. "So, tell me about your Imprint. What's she like?" he asked, eager to change the subject. Unfortunately, it was a subject I didn't want to discuss.

What's she like..oh, she was just the most amazing, beautiful person in the entire world.

No! No, I wouldn't think like that!

"Well..." I began hesitantly, unsure how to say this, "She's...uh...she's...UGH!" I snarled in frustration, bolting from the fallen tree before I started frantically pacing, Jake looking at me all the while like I was crazy. Funny thing...I probably am. "She's a fucking Vampire, Jacob!" I screamed before I could stop myself, abruptly ceasing in pacing and tossing my hands in the air in exasperation.

Jake just looked at me, a look of complete and utter shock on his face. I don't know just how long he sat like that, his eyes wide, mouth agape and his face blank of expression, but it was starting to unnerve me.

That is, until, Jake did the one thing I absolutely never would have expected. He laughed.

Jake fucking laughed, long and loud, the booming sound echoing around the small-ish clearing and his massive body shaking violently. I scowled, summoning my most convincing glare, but he was unaffected by it. I hardly saw how any of this was funny...

"Will you shut up already, Jake! It's not fucking funny!" I demanded hotly, my fists clenched at my sides and my brown eyes flashing as my anger returned to me. My body trembled lightly, but I didn't shift. I wouldn't let Lykenia free, not right now, not with as volatile as I was.

"Yes it is!" He sputtered in between gasping breaths, his large hands clutching at his deeply tanned sides. "It's hilarious!" He took a few deep, sputtering breaths, trying - and failing, miserably, might I add - to control his laughter. When he managed to tone his amusement down to a chuckle. "You...Imprinted...on...a fucking...LEECH!" he gasped between labored breaths, his laughter returning full force as he forced the last word from his lips.

He was really getting on my nerves. On top of everything I was already going through, the raging tempest of emotions surging through me, I really didn't need him mocking me too.

"Will you shut the fuck up, Jake! I really don't need this right now!" The desperation in my voice must have broken through his unwarranted amusement, because his laughter slowly died down into soft chuckles before it ceased all together.

I sighed in relief, lowering myself once more to the fallen log, resting my elbows on my knees before I buried my head in my hands. The sounds of shuffling met my ears, and a strong and feverish arm wrapped again around my shoulders.

"Aw, Bells...I'm sorry I laughed. It's just...ironic as hell, you know?" Jake soothed, the regret in his voice genuine. I knew he didn't mean any harm with his laughing, but it still pissed me off. I couldn't blame him, though...it _was _kind of ironic, and Jake would never do anything to intentionally hurt me or my feelings. _I _just didn't find it funny.

"I mean," the shifter continued gently, "We all know how much you hate vampires. It's just...I dunno...really odd that you would Imprint on one. And come on, it _is _kinda funny."

I grumbled, straightening my spine as I took in the sincere face of my best friend. "No it's not, Jake. How the hell could I Imprint on a fucking Vampire...What, is this nature's sick little joke? 'Oh, lets make Bella imprint on the Goddam species that inspires her greatest hate!' It's a fucking conspiracy, I tell you! A conspiracy!" Okay, perhaps a little overboard for the situation, but what can I say? I turn to sarcasm when I'm running on emotional overload. I also cursed like a sailor, but I'm sure you had figured that out already...

Jake chuckled subduedly, as if he was unsure if his amusement was welcome or not. "What the fuck am I going to do, Jake? I don't know if I can stay away from her...I've never heard of anyone successfully staying away from the object of their Imprint, but she's a fucking _Vampire _for God's sakes!"

Even as I said the words, the tightening in my heart clenched even more painfully, reminding me of the distance that separated us. My skin tingled, not with the danger of the change, but because I longed to be near her. Already, she was the only thing plaguing my thoughts and, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop thinking about her or longing for her.

The Native simply patted me softly on the back, murmuring soothing words even as my proverbial world crumbled around me. This couldn't be happening...

Unbidden, tears flooded my eyes and my body wracked with soft sobs. I didn't cry...I hadn't cried in decades, not since...But here I was now, crying like a baby in my best friends embrace. He rocked me back and forth, one large hand petting my head while the other wrapped around my waist and pulled me against him.

I was crying for myself, for the cruelness forced upon me. I was crying for Alice, for being away from her. I was crying for a hundred different reasons and I hated it.

"I already can't stop thinking about her..." I sobbed against Jacob's sturdy chest. "What am I going to do, Jake? What am I going to do?"

"There's nothing you can do, Bells," Jake said softly, still stroking my hair gently. "She's your Imprint. You can try to stay away but..." He trailed off, as if he wasn't sure what to say, but I already knew what was in his mind. After a moment of silence, filled with me sniffing very undignified against his chest, he took a deep breath and spoke, "Look at what happened to Sam, Bells. He tired to stay away from Emily, and look how much pain it caused them both. I mean, yeah, it sucks that she's a leech, no pun intended, but there's nothing you can do. She was made for you, Bells, and you were made for her. Trying to deny that will only cause you and her pain." Even the thought of my pixie in pain made my chest tighten uncomfortably. "Plus," Jake added, his voice softening slightly, "As much as I hate to admit it, the Cullens are good people. Besides, I'm kinda happy you Imprinted. You need this."

At that, I lifted my head from his chest and summoned the only glare I could manage. "I do not 'need this'," I objected, only to be shut down.

"Yes, Isabella Marie Swan, you do," he replied just as firmly, returning my glare with a stern one of his own. "I've known you my entire life and you've always been alone." I went to interrupt, but he predicted what I was going to say and cut me off before I ever got the chance. "Tia doesn't count. You need someone to love, someone to settle down with. You need more than a cheap one night stand every once and a while. One night stands aren't good for you. You shouldn't sell yourself short. You deserve to be loved, and this is your chance. And, no matter what species or race or whatever she is, I'm happy for you..."

I sighed, knowing he was right. It didn't mean I had to like it, but I was tired of being lonely. I was tired of sleeping and waking up alone. I was tired of moving from woman to woman. More importantly, I was tired of cheap, meaningless sex.

Not only that, but no matter how much I wanted to deny it or how much I didn't like it, I was drawn to the Vampire. Hell I couldn't even get her out golden eyes out of my head. I felt drawn to her. An invisible force pulled me in her direction and it was all I could do not to give into its will and go to her. A million steel cables anchored me to her. Gravity had shifted, no longer holding me to the earth but instead pulling me straight to her. It was like the world revolved only around her. I'd never seen the symmetry of the universe before, but now it was plain. It was a dark-haired pixie with gold eyes.

Everything I was had changed. I was no longer Isabella Swan, Mother to Charlie and Leland Swan, Best friend to Jacob Black, Were-cat hybrid and bane of all Vampire's existence. I was still all those things, I was just much more now. It was like everything had clicked into place. Like, somehow, my soul had been a puzzle - consisting of pieces made up of everyone I loved and cared for - and that last, imperative piece, the biggest piece of them all, had fallen into place. As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, I felt complete, for the first time in my long, miserable life.

But I hated it. It wasn't supposed to be this way. I was supposed to fall in love when I wanted to with who I wanted to, not be forced into something because of some cruel trick of nature. I was supposed to pick who I wanted to spend the rest of my eternal life with. Instead, I was stuck with a fucking Vampire. My choice had been ripped away from me, and I hated it.

My mind flooded with images of my beautiful little pixie, a smile adorning her perfect lips and her eyes alight with perky happiness. I wondered what it would feel like to kiss those lips. I wondered what it would feel like to wake up to her for the rest of eternity because, though she didn't sleep, I did. Would it really be so bad to open my eyes every day and look into her smiling face? Or to fall asleep every night wrapped in her arms, complete with her caressing my hair and whispering in my ear - just like Jake was doing now - after a night full of cuddling or making love? Did I really hate that idea?

_Yes! Yes, Goddammit, Yes! I fucking hate it all! _Even as my mind screamed the words, my body and my heart screamed that it was a lie. I couldn't hate her...She could go on a murdering rampage and I couldn't hate her. But God, I wanted to.

With a snarl, I ripped out of Jake's arms. Before he could question me, I ran, into the forest past the trees I had destroyed. In an instant, I lept, my clothes ripping from my body as I fluidly shifted into the sleek, black form of my beast. Long, sharp and curved claws dug into the soft dirt of the forest floor. My muscles bunched underneath my fur, shifting and contouring with my movements. My bright, yellow cat-like eyes flashed, and I gave myself into the animal, Lykenia roaring her delight.

**Parting Words;** Okay, I know I promised you guys that the next chapter would be in Alice's point of view, but I think I might hold off on Alice until later. It seems like every chapter gets a little bit longer, though lol. Anyway, I hope you guys liked the new addition! ;D

I really need a Beta for this story, too, since mine kinda went MIA on me, so if you have any experience with Beta-ing large projects like this or know someone who might be interested, please send me a message!

Much Love, Luxor.


	9. Chapter 9

Do you ever wish that things could be simpler? Well, yeah, I do too. I used to be happy with my life and my family, just going from day to day shopping or sparring with the boys, joking around with Bree and Jasper, and then the visions started.

They were always the same; swift, brutal and blurry. The makings of a truse vampire migrain...or as close to one as wampires can get.

Her face was always distorted, and I could only ever make out a few key features, like her long, curly, mahagony colored hair, a flash of white teeth and warm chocolate eyes. They never lasted more than a split second or two. The feeling was intense, not from what was in the vision but the vision itself. They always left me empty and wanting more.

I didn't need to get a good look at this woman, this angel to know that she was beautiful. The images of her might be blurry when they came to me, but I could tell she was indeed a Goddess. I didn't need to get a good look at this angel to know that she would be a very big part of my life.

And four days ago, she finally became apart of it...only to run right back out.

Which leaves me where I am now, walking through the woods without a destination in mind, under the faright light of the moon and stars, wollowing...well, wollowing and replaying ever second of that fateful moment four days ago trying to figure out what the hell went wrong.

_"So, I see you've spotted the Cullens," I heard across the lunch room, knowing without looking that it was Jessica that was the one speaking, no doubt to the new student. I rolled my eyes as I skipped toward our lunch table behind Jasper and Bree. I felt bad for the poor girl...only at school a day and already mixed in with _that _crowd. _

_"What are their names?" A musical voice, one to rival a Vampire's, asked softfly, and my eyes flung toward the speeker automatically. The 'new girl', Isabella Swan, sitting in between Jessica and Angela Weber, who was a pretty sweet girl, and my steps faltered uncharastically. _

_She was brunette, her long locks catching the light and my vampiric eyes could make out a slight trace of reddish undertones. I could tell even sitting that she wasn't all that tall in stature, maybe standing at a few inches taller than myself. Her body was slim and defined, and I could make out the slight bulge of toned muscle. The swell of her breasts moved with each easy breath, perfect in size just like the rest of her. Brilliant, curious but guarded brown eyes watched my family with avid interest. She looked inmmensly familiar, though I knew I had never met her before in my life. _

_But that wasn't what got me. In the split seconds while I was studying her, her scent hit me like a brick wall. It was more potent and wonderful than everything I had ever smelled my entire life, but it inspired absolutly no thirst in me. In fact, it had the complet opposite effect. I wanted to ravage her, yes, but not to drink her blood. I just wanted her...I wanted to know her._

_"The two blonds are Rosalie and Jasper Hale. They're Mrs. Cullen's niece and nephew. After their parents died in a car accident, they came to live with her. The really big guy is Emmett Cullen. He's dating Rosalie. The girl next to Jasper is Bree Tanner, a foster child, and she's dating Jasper." Jessica's voice once more broke me from my thoughts, and I forced myself to look away as I felt Edward's gaze bore into me, his brow furrowed and interest shining in his eyes. _

_"It's gross. Isn't there a word for people who date their family members?" As I took my seat, between Jasper and Edward, Lauren's voice reached my ears and I gritted my teeth together at the anger her words inspired. She would never be able to understand something as pure and true as the mating bond between vampires. _

_"It's called incest, but they're not actually blood related, Lauren," Angela added softly. I knew I liked her..._

_"Still...they live in the same house." My eyes flew up to once more look at the newest addition to Forks High student body, and I could tell she was amused by Lauren's statement. She could no doubt hear the disgust and jealousy in the blonde's tones, and it almost made me want to laugh too. Jealousy was unbecoming of mortals, and really, why would she ever expect she would have a chance Emmett when he was so clearly in love. Not to mention that Rosalie was far better looking. _

_Edward's lips curled at my thoughts, and I shot him a scowl. _

_"Anyway, next to Bree is Edward. He's too good to date anyone, though, so don't even think about it." I smiled at this, wondering just when Edward had spurned her advances. "Next to him is Alice Cullen. She's Bree's biological sister and a complete freak." My eyes dropped to the table in front of me at Jessica's statement. I wasn't upset at Jessica's insult...I had stopped letting mortal's stupid comments offend me. I was happy with who I was, and that was enough. But I didn't want to see the look on Isabella's face. I didn't want to know if she agreed with her new 'friends' or not. _

_"Yeah," Lauren added with a sneer, "She's a dyke." _

_My careful composure cracked a little, my face clenching into a mask of slight pain. Jasper's comforting hand rested on my shoulder, and I could feel the concerned looks of my family as well as Rosalie's seething anger. But I knew, without a doubt, that I would never have a chance of getting to know Isabella now...The world wasn't very accepting to lesbians in the first place, and in a small town like Forks, it was pratically unheard of, not to mention an 'abomination'. _

_"Is there a problem with that?" My jaw dropped at the sound of that musical voice rising to my defense. Isabella looked at each of my family in turn, almost as if to guage their reaction, but I was too focused on her to worry about how the others had reacted. I held my breath, waiting for her eyes to move from Rosalie to Emmett, Emmett to Bree and Bree to Jasper, but the second before they reached mine, Lauren spoke again and she jerked her attention back to the Super Bitch. _

_"Uh, yeah. It's unnatural."_

_"Kinda like your hair color, huh?" Isabella smirked at the look on Lauren's face, their eyes locking in a silent battle. _

_Emmett and Bree both laughed outright at the jab, Jasper soon following while I beamed bright and Rosalie's lips twitched. Edward's face was scrunched up into a scowl, but I was too caught up in the scene to worry about what that might mean at the moment. I was just happy Lauren had been brought down a few fucking notches. It wasn't too long before Lauren dropped her eyes, and Isabella's smirk widened. _

_God, she was so beautiful..._

_"Alice Cullen is staring at you," Jessica whispered, but I didn't look away. I couldn't force myself to. _

_And then, Isabella's eyes shot up to meet my own. _

_In that moment, everything seemed to fall away. Those eyes, staring so intently back at me...I knew those eyes, as intently as I knew my own name or the letters of the alphabet. _

_"It's her..." I whispered, ever so softly. I would know those eyes anywhere. I could stare into them for an eternity, and the split few seconds when I had gazed at them in my visions didn't do them justice. _

_I was aware of the weight of Jasper's hand on my shoulder, as well as the rest of my family staring at me intenlty, but all I could focus on was her. I was swimming in her; her scent, her gaze her pure _essense _and I never wanted to come up for air. _

_"It's...her?" my brother asked me, just as softly. All I could do was repeat his words back, nodding a little as I lost myself in those eyes. _

_Something primal shifted underneath the surface, something that awakened the primal side of me, and I knew she could feel it too. The instant connection. Our lives were irrevocably intertwined now, for better or worse, and I wouldn't have it any other way. _

_And then, everything went to hell. _

_She seemed to come back to herself, her gaze hardening slightly before her eyes ripped away from mine and she stood, with enough force to jarr the table and make the chair behind her clatter to the ground. She was breathing almost frantically, her skin was flushed a deep red and her heartbeat pounded in my ears. She looked my way one more time, her eyes locking with mine for a split second before she was running, out the doors and into the parking lot. I stood to follow, but a strong restrining hand on my shoulder stopped me. _

_I whirled to glare at my leonion brother, but he just shook his head. _

_"Don't." The command was a soft whisper, so soft a normal human wouldn't be able to hear, and I reluctantly agreed. Everything in me screamed to follow her. _

_"What the fuck just happened?" Rosalie hissed. _

_"She felt the bond..." Jasper tried to explain. _

_"You've got to be fucking kidding me..." My blond sister stated, sagging back against her chair. _

_But this was no joke. I had no doubt in my mind, and neither did Jasper. He could feel what I felt. He knew just as I did._

_After over a hundred years alone...I had finally found my mate. _

I couldn't understand why she had run. Jasper had explained later that night that Isabella knew what we were and wasn't too happy about us being in Forks. I tried to contribute it to that fact alone, but I knew deep down that wasn't the case. I could see it in her eyes that she wasn't disgusted by me.

Instead, I saw the same fire, the same passion and longing I felt in myself. I didn't need Jasper to tell me that she felt the same way I had, though he had later anyway. There was something else and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was.

For the last four days, I had gone to school hoping, praying for a chance to see her again, but she hadn't shown up. It was almost physical pain not seeing her. I longed for her presence, just to look at her and smell her sweet fragrance.

My family was troubled by Isabella's appearance in town...It was obvious enough that she wasn't human, and almost as soon as Edward divulged that he couldn't read her mind, everyone was on guard. She was unpredictable, a danger, but somehow I knew that she would never hurt me, or my family.

Jasper and Esme seem to be the only ones that was actually happy that I had finally found my mate. That the near-century I had spent alone was at an end. Esme was excastic, sending me beaming smiles and giving me random hugs. Jasper couldn't be more excited for me. He was my best friend, my brother, more so than Emmett or Edward, and all he wanted was for me to be happy. Yes, he was cautious as were the rest of my family, but he didn't let his inhabitions get in the way of what he knew would make me happy. Not only that, he respected Isabella for her obvious skill in fighting.

Emmett seemed excited at the prospect of having some action in the dreary town of Forks, of adding someone new to the family, someone new he could prank and tease. He had already taken quite a liking to my missing mate and quite literally wouldn't shut up about her display in the lunch room. He was already calling her his 'new little sis' and was proud she had stood up for us and for me. Not to mention he was treasing me endlessly about 'tapping' that. He lucky I haven't killed him yet.

Rosalie and Edward were both up in arms. They didn't like the face that Isabella seemed to be able to block Edward's mind probes, not to mention that she knew about our kind. The scars that riddled her body certaintly didn't help either. I could patrially understand where Rosalie was coming from; she was very protective of our family and just wanted us safe. She viewed Isabella as a threat to us, a threat of exposure or worse, and it put her on edge. Edward...he was just a bitter doushebag using Isabella's obvious lack of humanity as an excuse to cover up his anger that I had found my mate before he did.

Asshole.

Bree, however, was indifferent. When we first found her, she was a bloodthirsty newborn. Guilt over the crimes she had committed still hung over her oppressivly, but we had never judged her or condemned her. She refused to do the same to anyone else, no matter what they were. She was content to withold judgement until after she had gotten to know my mate better, and I both respected and loved her for that. Carlisle was much the same way. He seemed to be torn between happiness that I had found my mate and caution that she both knew of our kind and seemed to have had violent interactions between them before, but he reserved judgement, like he always did.

The sharp cracking sound of a twig snapping beneath someone's weight broght tore me from my thoughts. I froze, my breath seizing in my lungs and my eyes searching the looming shadows. The forest was too quiet...the only sound that reached my ears was the steady beating of a single heart.

The sound of heavy pawsteps was growing steadily closer. I took a deep breath through my nose, searching the air for a familiarly disgusting scent and it was with some horror that I realized I was dreadfully close to the treaty line...and my soon-to-be visitor was a Quileute wolf.

I just prayed it was one that would see some reason.

My small shread of hope I had in that catagory was severly squashed as a feral snarl roared through the silent night, and a dark grey wolf stepped from the shadows.

Paul.

His nearly black eyes were narrowed and focused soley on me. His lips were pulled back to reveal a set of lethal teeth - teeth that were one of the only substances hard enough to break through Vampire skin - and I could see nothing but hate in his stance and his eyes.

I slowly held up my hands to show I was not a threat and, before I knew it, the wolf before me had morphed into a very naked and very pissed off Paul.

"Leech," he seethed through gritted teeth, eying me with a cross between disgust and caution. "What the hell are you doing so close to the line?"

I fought against her wince at the werewolf's hiss and braced myself for the fight I really hoped wasn't coming. "I was just going for a walk. I didn't realize how close to the line I was," I said softly, calmly. The last thing I needed was to flare his temper even more.

"Liar!" The wolf shouted, his face twisting in rage. "You were coming to attack us! You were coming to break the treaty!"

"No!" I exclaimed, readying myself more for a fight as the man began trembling violently.

"Where the hell are the rest? Are they hiding in the woods, just waiting to attack?"

My objections fell on deft ears as a giant wolf exploded where the man once stood. Paul's lips pulled back in a feral snarl that seemed to shake the trees around us before he tensed and lunged.

**X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X**

Four days...it had been four long, miserable days since I had last seen her.

My brillant plan of staying as far away from my pixie little vampire were failing miserably. Lykenia was on edge. One moment she was wollowing in a pit of self-depression, much like myself, and the next she was raging against her restraits, howling her need for our mate.

The full moon, which dawned tomorrow night, only made it worse.

I tried as desperatly as I could to keep her calm and under control but it was proving a very, _very _difficult task. I split my time between La Push and my home but the littlest things set me off, more so than usual this time of the month. Charlie had sensed the change almost immediatly, but I hadn't told him I had Imprinted, let alone on a Vampire. Leland had noticed the change in me as well and, bless my little girl, she hugged me as much as possible. In fact, it seemed over the last few days she had been loathe to let me go at all.

Not that I was complaining. Leland's presence seemed to calm both me and Lykenia to a considerable degree, but it didn't make the crushing pain go away. I appreciated my little girl's effort though, and only loved her more for it.

Every breath hurt. Every movement hurt. Every beat of my heart hurt, and it only grew worse the longer I was away from her. But I couldn't go back to school. Not so close to the full moon. My emotions were already haywire and being around her now would be disasterous. The Were side of my genes made me burn to claim my mate and if I was anywhere near Alice now, I would lose what little control I had left and end up ravaging her in the middle of the cafateria or worse. Not to mention the overwhelming jealousy I would doublessly feel.

No, if I went to school now, it would end in disaster. One wrong look from a single horny teenage boy, and I couldn't guarantee I wouldn't kill him. Neither could I guarantee that the second I looked at her, I wouldn't have her pressed against a wall with my fingers buried inside of her.

I had to stay away, at least until after the full moon. Lykenia would be weaker during the new moon and I would be able to control her much easier.

I would stay away, no matter how much it hurt.

And it hurt like fucking _hell _right now. I didn't know if I could go through three more days of this, and it would be even worse when the moon lifted into the sky tomorrow night, gorged completly.

So I did whatever I could to keep as much control as I could manage. I gave into my animal every night, I hunted more often, I even let Lykenia have a small bit of freedom.

Emphasis on the small.

Which was what I was doing now. My elongated, lethal claws dug into the soil, the cool night air ruffled my ebony black fur and my eyes glinted yellow in the moonlight. My ears swivled from side to side, pleased with the silence that fell in my wake as the forest's creatured quaked at my presence.

That is, until a feral roar reached my ears.

I immediatly turned toward the sound, knowing the call of one of the wolves instantaneously. Paul was on patrol tonight, so I knew the voice was his own, and his scent grew steadily stronger in my nose.

As did another, one that had my heart soaring and sinking into the pit of my stomach at the same time.

I quickened my pace, an desperation so strong it turned my stomach rising in me as the scents grew stronger and the sounds of a struggle wafted toward me. Lykenia roared, thrashing against her restraints with renewed vigor and for the first time in days, I gave her what she wanted.

Freedom.

I was running on pure instinct, an instinct that screamed at me to protect my mate and kill the one that threatened her. Something both Lykenia and I were both gladly willing to do. I didn't stop as I broke through the trees. My eyes took in the scene before me and I snarled with enough fury to shake the leaves hanging precariously above me.

Paul stopped mid-lunge, turning to glare at me for a moment before comeplete terror flooded his eyes as he reconized who had interrupted him. He knew his offense, just as he knew I would take great pleasure in punishing him for it.

I took one look quick at Alice, making sure she was unharmed. She looked visibly shaken at my appearance and my instincts screamed to confort her, to reassure her that I would never hurt her. But as I took in her dirty clothes and the leaves in my hair, my rage returned. Paul had dared to lay a _fucking finger _on her.

I snarled again, turning my burning yellow eyes back to the wolf and just a split second later, I lunged. He was no match for my greater skill, not to mention I was much larger than him, but he put up a fight nontheless. Each clumsy swipe of his claws or snap of his jaws I dodged with pathetic ease. He only lasted a few seconds before I had him pinned beneath me, my razor sharp fangs clamped on his throat and my k-nines pressed against his jugular.

_You won't do it..._he rasped, his voice coarse in my mind. _The pack will never let you get away with it. _

Even though I wanted nothing more than to sink my teeth into his flesh, I couldn't help but laugh._ That's where your wrong, Paul, _I snarled back fiercly_, I have a feeling the pack will take my side on this. You broke the law, you disgusting filthy mutt, and it's within my rights to exact my vengence. _

_I've broken no law. The leech was going to break the treaty. I was doing my duty. _

I laughed again, even louder. The clueless little bastard. Only Jacob, Sam and Jared knew of my imprinting, since the three of them always patroled together, but I could care less if Paul knew or not. _You attacked my imprint, Paul, _I informed. _By law, your life is mine to take. And no one in the tribe or the pack will say anything to gainsay it. _

His eyes widened in realization and he struggled against my hold. _Your not pack,_ he snarled desperatly, _our laws don't apply to you. Besides, I didn't know. _

_No matter. You attacked her and your life is forefeit. _I hissed, applying pressure to his jugular. Lykenia roared her delight and I smiled inwardly. He would pay for hurting her, pack be damned.

The grip on his throat tightened and he wimpered in pain. I felt the edges of my teeth break through the first layers of fur to the skin but just as I was about to break through the final barrier to his life's blood, a voice stopped me. "No," Alice whispered, ever so softly. I paused, turning my head slightly, just enough for her to appear in my pereferial vision. The fear was gone from her face, replaced with slight apprehension and one ear flicked in her direction. She seemed to take that as a sign to continue and took a small step forward. "Don't kill him."

I snarled at her request. How could she ask suck a thing of me? He had harmed my imprint. By right, his life was mine to do with as I pleased. By law, he was mine to kill. But the pleading in her eyes ceased my movements. She didn't want Paul to die, even after he had attacked her. No matter how much I wanted his life, I couldn't do that to her. She would forever blame me for eternity or worse, blame herself.

The pressure of my jaws abated and I snarled at the wolf beneath me once more. _Looks like you owe your life to a leech, Paul. How does that make you feel?_ He whimpered once more, but made no move to reply. _She may have spared your life this time, but know this; if you even look at her in a way I don't like again, no force on this earth will stop me from ripping you to pieces. Do you understand?_

_I understand, _he replied. I could hear the undertones of hate in his voice, both for me and for Alice, and my jaw clenched as a painful reminder of who exactly was the superior. His wince was a clear sign he had gotten my message and a growl rumbled low in my chest even as I released him and took a step back.

Paul struggled to his feet, small droplets of blood dripping to the leaf-littered forest floor from the small puncture wounds in his neck. His ears were flat against his skull and his tail curled under his belly in a sign of submission, but his eyes burned into mine. He knew he could never best me in a fight, but his pride refused to let him be cowled by me completly.

Arrogant bastard.

_Leave_, I commanded harshly, _and remember what I said. One wrong look, Paul. And you can be assured that Sam will hear about this._

I could tell he wanted to glare in the direction of my little pixie, but he refraimed, my threat still fresh in his mind. He whirled and fled, like the coward he was. I watched him go, waiting many moments after he had disappeared into the shadows before I turned toward her.

She was more stunning that I remembered. The moonlight reflected off of her pale skin, making her almost glow. Bright golden eyes reguarded me curiously and without fear. Her black hair was more tame than the last time I had seen her, brushed smoothly against her scalp. She looked like an angel, otherworldly, etheral. She looked breathtaking.

I scanned her body for wounds, anything that might show she had been hurt and I felt intense reliefe sink in when all I saw was the dirty disaray of her name brand clothes and the debris in her hair. When I was certain she was well, i visibly relaxed, as did Lykenia. If paul had hurt her, harmed one hair on her beautiful little head, I would have killed him, no matter my mate's protests.

My eyes lifted, clashing with her own golden ones, and she gave a sharp gasp, one petite hand lifting to cover her mouth in suprise.

There was no denying the instant connection as soon as our eyes met. She knew who I was, no matter the form I was in, and her whisper of my name proved it.

"Isabella," she breathed, ever so softly, and I inclined my head in the slightest to awknoledge her. She took a step forward before hesitation, her eyes cautious as she studied my lean and lethal body.

Without pause I moved toward her, slowly because of my fear of frightening her. She didn't shy away or flinch, even when I paused only inches from her. I towered over her, and I was struck with how fragile she was. Fragile, but oh so brave. She had faced off against Paul and hadn't even shown a glimmer of fear. My brave girl...

Unable to resist touching her for a moment longer, I rested my broad jaw on her shoulder, inhaling her sweet scent. It seemed like an eternity since I had last seen her and touching her, breathing her in, being with her was like a balm to my wounded soul. Alice relaxed against my touch as much as I relaxed into hers.

A delighted purr rumbled deep in my chest and her fingers twined in the thick black fur of my neck. Instead of filling me with a sense of endangerment as a vampire's touch typically did -especially in proximaty to my neck - her dainty fingers caressing my silky fur set me alight.

"Isabella," she breathed again, burying her face in my chest even as my purr deepened.

Abruptly, my little pixie stilled, her body stiffening and her fingers ceasing their calming movements. I pulled back in concern, my yellow eyes meeting her own, only to find them glazed over and distant. My muzzle nudged her ever-so-slightly, fear clawing at my belly.

That is, until the sound of movement caught my attention. My ears swivled and my eyes flicked toward the shadows even as my muscles tensed. Something was coming, and it was coming fast. Ever instinct screamed in me to protect my vulnerable mate and I whirled to face the incoming threat head on, placing myself between it and Alice. My teeth were bared in a silent snarl and I estimated I only had a few more moments before my enemy arrived.

He broke through the trees and it was with some suprise that I reconized Edward. He paused, confusion furrowing in his brow even as he looked toward his 'sister', taking in her disheveled appearance. His eyes narrowed in suspicion and he crouched, hissing in defiance.

I crouched as well, my instincts screaming at me to protect the little pixie vampire. Just as the male vampire launched at me, a sweet voice rang in my ears.

"Edward, NO!"

**Parting Word; **Okay, so I usually HATE it when authors end a chapter like that, but I just had to. Sorry guys! Anyway, I hope you liked it! Sorry it took so long to update, but I've been super busy with Thanksgiving and my birthday and everything ;D Hope this is a good 'forgive me' present!


	10. Chapter 10

_He broke through the trees and it was with some suprise that I reconized Edward. He paused, confusion furrowing in his brow even as he looked toward his 'sister', taking in her disheveled appearance. His eyes narrowed in suspicion and he crouched, hissing in defiance. I crouched as well, my instincts screaming at me to protect the little pixie vampire. Just as the male vampire launched at me, a sweet voice rang in my ears. _

_"Edward, NO!" _

Time slowed. Adrenaline rushed into my blood and I could feel my veins swelling to twice their normal size. My body hummed with excitment and my heart's beat picked up it's tempo as it pumped my chemical-filled blood throughought my body, loosening my muscles and warming me, preparing me. Every movement was more graceful and more lethal, ruled by instinct. It was as it always was whenever I faced off an opponent. It was a thrill like no other, one I lived for. Nothing was more thrilling than facing death.

Even though my heart was pounding in my chest and I was filled with excitment, another emotion also filled me, one I was quite unused to in the face of a fight: dread. Typically, as soon as a vampire stepped forward the world seemed to melt away. Nothing existed but me and him - or her - and the knowledge that only one of us would walk away alive. There was just the fight, blood pumping, teeth snapping and claws lashing. It was simple, it was primal.

Now, it was more.

Though the saner part of my animalistic mind knew that it wasn't likely Edward would hurt Alice, that part was buried under layers and layers of unreachable instinct. These instincts were screaming one thing, over and over again, almost defening in their insistance: _Protect my mate from harm. _

This time, this battle, more than my own life was hanging in the balance. This time, Alice's was as well. I held her life in my paws, and only my skill would keep her alive. Each lunge, each attack had to be more carefully calculated and brutally executed. Each block and parry had to be swifter, easier and more quickly returned. One wrong move or slip up and Alice could be dead as well as myself, and it was somthing I refused to let happen.

I had to end this quickly. I had to defeat my opponent faster than I ever had. Because, though that tiny voice on the inside of my mind knew that Edward wouldn't hurt Alice, it also didn't care. Fighting Vampires was what I did. Killing them was my job, so to speak. The only vampire I would never harm was Alice.

Edward had signed his own death warrant the moment he had attacked me. Because, though he was doublessly a better fighter than Paul, I could tell just from his movements that he was no where near good enough to beat me, and I had something to fight for. I had something to win for, and I refused to lose.

He lept, teeth bared and black eyes flashing with contempt. His palms were open and held out in front of him, but before his steel hard grip could come in contact with me, I had slipped out of the way, leaving my opponent to sail past me. He landed only a few feet away and whirled, my cat eyes picking up each blurred movement with perfect ease. My claws dug into the earth and I crouched, bearing my teeth in silent challenge. He growled in annoyance and I rorared in fury as we launched ourselfs in tandem.

We came together with a muted thud and I lashed out, jowls open and waiting, and I was distantly aware of a soft, chime-like voice calling out in alarm before the resounding snap of my teeth clashing together tuned it out. Edward's stone cold body had been replaced with empty space, and I growled my displeasure even as my head whipped to the side just in time to see him leaping for my exposed back. The cries of alarm turned to ones of terror as the male vampire's claws dug into the tender flesh of my back, leaving a long trail of long, deep, jagged wounds in their wake.

I clenched my jaw against the roar of pain that rose in my throat, unwilling to let the bastard hear the product of his efforts. Instead, I turned in on myself, my teeth latching onto my enemies shoulder. The marble hard skin gave way underneath the pressure and with one forceful movement I ripped him from my back. My head whipped back and forth on it's own accord, shaking Edward's body like a limp rag doll. His growling turned to pained whimpers, but I didn't stop, not until he went flying many feet away only to crash painfully into a rather large cluster of boulders. I distastfully spat out the hunk of his shoulder that had been ripped from his body and stepped forward with every intent to finish what I had started - only to find my path blocked by my little pixie vampire.

Her eyes were wide and glossed over with unshed tears and I growled a soft warning for her to move. Edward was struggling to his feet behind her, his hair in an ever greater disaray as numerous leaves and twigs had claimed residence. His brand-name, designer clothes were dishevled and dirty and I ignored the disgusting disfigurment the missing hunk of his shoulder caused.

My body tensed, a twinge of pain resonating from the bleeding wounds on my back, as he reclaimed his footing, his eyes wild. I didn't like Alice's back presented to him. It was like a target, and I once again growled a warning to my mate, even as I tried to step around her. But soft hands forced me to stop even as her dainty fingers wound themselved into the midnight black scruff on my jaw. A slight pressure forced my eyes to her own, eyes like liquid gold.

"Shhh, it's okay. He won't hurt me," she whispered. My eyes flicked toward Edward once more, watcing as his brow furrowed in confusion but she forced them back.

The growl forming in my stomach was strained, sounding caught between a whimper and a growl but I was desperate to get her to see my point. "It's okay. I'm safe, Isabella. Everything is okay." Her voice was barely pitched loud enough for me to hear, and I knew Edward would be unable to. I felt a flood of gratefulness that she held silent to my true identity even as I felt the primal nature of my mind slip away at her peaceful request.

I purred in satisfaction as her ice-cold fingers ghosted along my jaw line and into my neck, gently caressing and kneeding the tense muscles found there. Her touch had a calming effect that I had never felt before, not even at the hands of my daughter and I resisted the urge to close my eyes in pleasure. It was sorely tempting, but I downright refused to allow Edward out of my sight, even if I was only watching him in my pereferial vision. Not only that, but I seemed to be drowning in Alice's eyes with each passing second, and I couldn't find the will to look away.

I don't know how long we stared at one another, her calming touch and softly spoken words soothing both Lykenia and myself, but I never wanted it to stop. Two days of no contact whatsoever with my Imprint had left me starved like a man in a desert, and she was my Oasis. All I wanted to do was bask in her, drink in every little thing about her until I was drowning again.

But, of coarse, our moment was to be short-lived.

In a bout of deja vu, sounds of movement reached my keener ears before they did Alice or Edward, coming from the Cullen's side of the treaty-line. My head lifted and my eyes flashed toward the darkened shadows of the forest, my ears swivling from side to side as I listened more intently. The sounds of movement were faint, but I could still tell many forms were fast approaching, no doubt the rest of the vampires coming to the aid of their own. Edward and I were not exactly silent during our battle, and I wouldn't be too suprised if the pack soon arrived as well.

My pixie gasping and stiffening against me brought my attention back to my mate and I gazed at her in concern. Edward stepped forward, concern lighting his own face but he only got a few steps before my snarl stopped him in his tracks.

"Edward, don't come any closer," Alice commanded softly.

"What did you see, Alice?" He asked guardedly, looking between me and his sister in what could only be discribed as puzzlement.

"Nothing. My visions have gone black," she replied softly, bowing her head.

"The wolves," he growled under his breath. Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, the roaring of ten beating hearts claimed my attention, coming in our direction just as fast as the drumming feet.

"They're coming," Alice confirmed.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER REVISED AS OF WEDNESDAY JANUARY 25TH 12:16 AM EASTERN PACIFIC TIME. REVISION SECTION MARKED IN BOLD.**

It was silent.

Well, silent aside from the pounding of eleven heartbeats, the breathing of ten boys in the form of giant wolves and an immortal were-cat hybrid.

My eyes flashed between the cluster of seven vampires, gathered around Edward, and the pack almost nervously. This situation had potential to turn disastrous...we were on the brink on an all-out war here and, I have to say, though I wouldn't have minded watching the vampires be slaughtered by my kin, I doubt my mate would appreciate it.

The air was tense, nearly cracking with the energy. The wolves stood in loose formation, Sam at point with Jacob standing at his side, but they were far from relaxed. Every familiar furry body was crouched low, their lips pulled back in silent snarls and their claws digging into the leaf-littered soil in an effort to gain traction for their launch into action.

The vampires bore almost identical poses, with the exception of Alice who still stood by my side. Edward stood at the back of the cluster of bloodsuckers, his body crouched over slightly and his unnecessary breathing labored. His face was clenched in discomfort as both seventeen separate trains of angry thoughts assaulted him and from the wound left by me.

Fucking coward, hiding behind his 'family'.

The faces, though, all bore identical expressions; aggression, determination and a hint of confusion or disgust whenever a pair of eyes would flick toward mine and Alice's direction.

I could care less. I watched them all guardedly, even my friends, making sure not a single one made a move toward my little pixie. Frankly, I could care less what they did to each other, as long as they didn't even think about hurting her.

Well, that was partially true, anyway. I knew the wolves wouldn't dare touch my mate. More than one of them had witnessed my wrath first hand and the ones that hadn't knew from the minds of the ones that had. It left me with one certain conclusion: None of them would even think about incurring my wrath upon themselves by trying to harm her. Not only that, it was against their own laws to harm one's Imprint in any way. It was their most sacred law, one not a single one of them would even think about thinking about breaking.

The vampires, however, 'family' or not, couldn't be trusted.

As it was, I hovered over Alice protectively, the scruff of my neck brushing the top of her head, the midnight black fur blending almost completely with her own dark locks, body tense and completely on guard. She stood stock still, as close as she possibly could be to me without actually touching me, but made no attempt to move.

No one moved. We all just stood there, starring at one another.

It would have been kinda funny if the tension wasn't so thick even a knife couldn't cut it.

With a soft, undistinguishable sigh, I opened my mind to the pack and was almost instantly bombarded by their thoughts.

_Bells, are you okay?_ Jacob asked, concern and panic thick in his deep timber, even as his deep brown eyes tore from the vampires, only for a split second, to eye the already healing wounds on my back.

I briefly noticed Edward's eyes widen with shock, but he said nothing and I refused to be grateful.

_Bella, did they hurt you? _Seth asked sweetly and, if it was any other situation and a different wolf, I would have rolled my eyes and replied with 'No, my back itched so I decided I would claw it off'.

_That leech bitch attacked me! _Paul hissed, avoiding my eyes. The second this was over, whether it be peacefully or otherwise, his life was mine. He flinched at my thoughts, and I couldn't help but smirk.

_Paul, shut the fuck up. We all know you attacked her first, so you broke the treaty, not them, _Jared retorted.

_Enough!_ Sam roared, causing every wolf to fall silent.

All accept one...

_Is it true...? _I looked toward Leah, her eyes already waiting for me, and I was awash with shame, not because of my imprinting, but because of how she had found out.

Doubtless every wolf already knew, if not from Paul's thoughts, than from Jacob's. Though he had been able to resist shifting for the last two days, which I was grateful for, as soon as he had taken up his wolf form, Paul's thoughts would have been confirmed by his own, leaving absolutely no doubt.

She deserved better than that. I should have gone to her the same day it had happened and explained the situation to her. I should have told her myself, and I hadn't. What little trust and respect we had rebuilt in the last week since my return had been shattered into a million pieces.

_Leah_...I attempted, pleaded for her to understand.

_Is it true!_ She snapped, the almost whisper to her words replaced with raw anger.

I didn't even bother to lie. I refused to be ashamed of my mate and my Imprinting, even if I felt like shit knowing what it did to her. So, I lifted my chin slightly, defiantly, gazed unwaveringly into her eyes and stated calmly, _yes_.

Her eyes lingered on mine for only a second more before she turned without another word and disappeared into the shadows.

_Leah, wait!_ I called, taking an automatic step forward, wanting desperately to run after her, to beg her to understand, but the need to make sure Alice was safe over-ruled it.

_Let her go, Isabella. She'll come around. _Sam's soft, understanding voice said soothingly. My eyes moved to his, and the sadness in his own brown ones proved his words to be lies, as I already knew them to be.

_No, Sam. She won't. _And we both knew why, without needing to say.

Leah wouldn't come around because I was the second one to break her heart because of an Imprinting...and it only cut that much deeper that I had Imprinted on one of the creatures she considered responsible for the shit-hole that had become her life.

My betrayal was far worse than Sam's.

The pack fell silent. The vampires remained silent. No one moved, no one spoke.

Until, that is, a soft voice called from his position of protection. "I'm sorry."

_What?_ I asked, flicking my eyes toward Edward, knowing that every other pair did as well.

Edward heard the words echoed in my mind and answered without hesitation. "I attacked without knowing the full story. I shouldn't have been so rash in judgment, and for that I apologies. I just...Alice was in a vulnerable position with dirty and torn clothes in an area that showed signs of a struggle and you were the only one around. I assumed..."

My sharp nod cut off his words.

Silence once more fell, and I took the time to lift the walls once more around my mind, allowing only Edward access to my thoughts.

_I know it will be foolish to ask you to keep my identity to yourself, since your...family...will doubtless know soon enough, but the rest..._

I didn't need to finish my request, almost as if Edward knew how hard it would be for me to force myself to ask him the favor of keeping what had happened between Leah and me to himself, when he nodded. His eyes flicked toward Alice before finding mine again, and I could see the silent question in his gaze.

_She's my Imprint_, I explained grudgingly to the vampire. His furrowed brow proved that he didn't understand what exactly that meant to me, so I explained. _When your kind finds your mates, you feel that instant connection, like a merging of your two souls, right?_ He nodded. _It's like that, except exceptionally more powerful. It's not like love at first sight, really. It's more like... gravity moves... suddenly. It's not the earth holding you here anymore, she does...You would do anything for her, become whatever she needs you to be, whether that's a protector, or a lover, or a friend. Imprinting is an unbreakable bond. If someone hurts of kills one's Imprint, the Imprinter will never forget their face or forgive them. We kill the one responsible and follow them into death. _

Though I didn't like explaining something that could very well make me and the pack vulnerable to the leech, I felt a keen desire to have him understand. It wasn't about explaining my actions to him, wanting his acceptance, or even to help him understand the bond between a shifter and their Imprint...it was a warning.

He nodded again, understanding and acceptance in his eyes, along with a silent promise to my unvoiced thoughts that Imprinting, both my own and those of the pack, wouldn't be used against us as one of our only weaknesses. I nodded in return.

Our silent, private conversation done, I once more opened my mind to the pack, just in time to hear Sam speak.

_This is all just a misunderstanding_, Sam calmly stated. That's one thing I loved most about him...he was always the Alpha, always in control of the situation. _You have my guarantee that Paul will be dealt with in an appropriate manner befitting his offenses_, The Alpha added, both for my sake and Edward's.

Frankly, I hope he castrated the bastard. If he didn't, I certainly would. The best part about it was that not one of them, by law, had a right to stop me.

Jacob scoffed in amusement at my thoughts, and the smallest of smirks curled Edward's lips.

"Will someone explain what the fuck is going on!" The blond bitch, Rosalie I remembered, demanded, her dark topaz eyes burning with anger.

"Yeah. Are we gonna fight or just stand here all day," The big one, Emmett, added with an excited, child-like grin, his dimples apparent. I chuckled, the sound coming off more as a growl than a laugh. He might be a bloodsucker, but I could appreciate his spirit.

"This was a misunderstanding," Edward repeated Sam's words, acting as a translator between the groups.

"She helped me," Alice added softly, speaking for the first time since the Cullens and the pack had arrived. My jaw gently brushed against the top of her head, offering my silent support and she leaned ever-so-slightly into my touch.

"Helped you with what?" The older blond male, I assumed the infamous Doctor Carlisle, asked patiently. I could immediately understand, from the soft tone of his voice as well as the gentle look on his face why Sue and Sam would have some measure of respect for the vampire, no matter how small. If I didn't know from painful experience exactly what vampires could do, I would probably think this golden man couldn't harm a fly.

It was Edward that answered, having read enough of our thoughts to know the full story. "Paul was patrolling the border when he came across Alice. She was walking close to the treaty line - she hadn't crossed it yet - but when Paul came across her he assumed she was going to. He attacked her. The panther heard the struggle and when she arrived, she ran to Alice's aid and fought off Paul. I heard their fight and when I got here, I saw Alice in the middle of a vision. Her clothes were torn and dirty, she had leaves and debris in her hair and there looked like there had been a struggle so I lept to conclusions...The panther and I traded blows until Alice managed to get us apart, and that's when the rest of you showed up."

I was grateful that Edward had left out the few moments Alice and I had spent together just before he arrived, but I refused to say thank you him. Me, thanking a leech...Hah!

"Who exactly is she?" The dark-haired female, Bree, asked, her tone neutral but holding a slight undistinguishable edge.

Edward looked to me, asking silent permission, and I nodded almost imperceptibly, but before he could answer, surprisingly, Jasper did.

"She is Bella. She's the panther shifter."

**REVISION SECTION BEGINS X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X**

"Bella? The new girl?" Emmett asked, voice laced with confusion.

My accusing eyes turned immediately to Jasper, narrowed in suspicion. How the fuck did he know it was me? Edward had never spoken my name and, as far as I knew, there was only one mind reading leech.

My body tensed against automatically, responding to the threat perceived by my mind, and I knew without looking that most of the pack had reacted in a similar manner.

"He could read the emotions coming off of you and Alice. He knew because they were the same emotions he sensed the day in the cafeteria," Edward explained my unvoiced question, but his answer did little to calm me.

Stupid fucking vampires, invading my thoughts and emotions. I was reminded why I disliked leeches so fucking much...Arrogant bastards and their fucking gifts, always had to make things difficult.

Well, except Alice. I could never dislike her, even in the smallest measure.

As if sensing my thoughts, my little pixie leaned closer into me, her back pressing against my firm chest and one hand lifting to twine her fingers delicately into the scruff of my cheek. My chest vibrated with a deep purr almost instantly and completely against my will and I received more than one curious look from various pack members - none of which had ever heard me purr before,- a smirk from both Edward and Jasper, and a soft giggle from my Imprint.

Great.

There goes my bad ass reputation.

"Well this is just wonderful!" The blond bitch, as I had dubbed her, practically growled. "Alice goes and finds her mate in some fucking flea bag were-animal! How could you be so stupid!" Her last words were directed with a venomous glare toward my vampire.

Bad move.

I saw red. Rage bubbled inside of me and snarl ripped itself from my throat and my blazing yellow eyes met hers. Ebony lips peeled back from my lethal teeth, showing her the very weapons that would be the cause of her second, permanent death in moments. I could see from the look in her own eyes that she wanted to shrink back from my anger, and only her pride kept her from doing so.

Being so close to the full moon, my control was already on edge. Not only that, Imprints were a very sensitive subject to a shifter, and we didn't take insults toward them very well. Throw all this together, complete with my current desire for revenge for Paul's idiocy, my earlier fight with Edward and my edginess at being in such close proximity to so many vampires...

It all added up to badness, and right now, that badness was due to be reaped upon Blond Bitch.

Because she could say anything about me, anything her pretty little cold and dead heart desired, but she would never, ever say a fucking word about Alice, especially in that tone.

Not while I was breathing.

_Don't, Bella! _Sam called, much too late to do any good. My body was tense, one paw already poised to take a step toward my prey.

Before I could even take a step in her direction, Alice had turned toward me and the soft hand on my cheek grew more insistent, forcing my eyes away from Blond Bitch and back toward her own. Once our eyes met, my blind rage slowly melted away, whisked away by the complete adoration in her topaz visionaries.

"Rosalie..." Edward stated as calmly as he could, his voice almost distant as all of my attention riveted on my vampire, "I don't think it's a good idea to insult Alice in Bella's presence."

Okay, so I was lucid to hear that, and I growled in agreement.

"Shh. Ignore her," Alice whispered softly, caressing my sleek fur tenderly.

"Well...I think it would be best if we just called this a night," Carlisle stated calmly. Sam nodded sharply in agreement. "I apologies for the disaster this night turned into. Hopefully things can go more smoothly in the future."

_The fault rests with Paul, and you have my word he will be punished for his offense. Regardless, it is us who should apologies. One of our own was the one to breech the treaty, not yours. _

After Sam's words had been translated by Edward, Carlisle nodded again and turned to leave, his mate, Bree, Blond Bitch and Emmett following. Edward and Jasper lingered, uncertain eyes trained on Alice. She gave them a soft smile and nodded, giving them permission.

"Go. I'll be fine."

"You don't know that, Alice. You can't see them," Jasper urged, his eyes flicking toward the pack.

"No, I can't," my Imprint stated confidently, "but I know she won't let anything happen to me."

Damn fucking right, I wouldn't. I would die first.

My thoughts were obviously enough to convince Edward, because he gave me a small smile and turned toward his 'brother'. "Let's go Jazz. She'll be fine."

Jasper still seemed uncertain, and his eyes met mine. "If anything happens to her..."

I scoffed, both at his silent threat and at the absurdity of such a thing happening while I had breath left in my body. _Don't be fucking stupid, leech_, I inwardly hissed, even though I knew he wasn't the mind reader.

Edward chuckled, tugging on Jasper's arm insistently. Only another second passed before they too turned and headed into the forest, following their family home.

I flashed my gaze to Alice's for a split second before I turned to Sam.

_Take the pack home, _I commanded.

_Bella..._Jacob said cautiously, but I shook my head to cut him off.

_Take the pack home. I'll be around later tonight to deal with Paul. I have a few things I have to take care of. _

The Alpha nodded, a sharp bark dispersing most of the pack, leaving only Jared, Jacob and Seth. _And Leah? _He asked once everyone had disappeared into the trees.

Involuntarily, I winced_. I'll speak with her. Seth, would you mind leaving behind your clothes? You're the closest one to my size, and I don't have any. _

_Sure thing,_ _Bella_, the pup replied. His eyes were clouded over with concern, both for me and his sister and I felt a wave of sympathy for him.

_For what it's worth, Seth, I didn't mean to hurt her..._I almost whispered in apology. I knew how protective Seth was of his sister, especially after Sam had imprinted, and I hated myself for hurting her again and, in turn, him.

_I know Bells...we'll talk later. Good luck_. With that, he snapped the rope around his front right leg, leaving his clothes to crumble to the ground before him, too, turned and followed the rest of the pack back to La Push.

_I'm going to be going away for a few days...Jared, Jacob, I need you to make sure Charlie and my little girl stays safe while I'm gone, yeah? _I silently requested, deliberately explaining no more.

They both nodded, giving their silent vow._ Stay safe, Bells, _Jacob said just before he and Jared melted into the shadows, heading no doubt toward my house, leaving only me, Sam and Alice.

_Where are you going?_ Sam asked softly, almost hesitantly.

_Once I'm sure Alice is safe, Paul is delt with and I've talked to Leah, I'm going into the mountains. It's too close to the full moon. I need to hunt, and I can't risk being around the ones I love with my control so shaky. Imprinting, it seems, has only made it ten times worse. It's best if I go away until the new moon. _

_It will be hard to stay away from her, the Alpha commented, looking toward my silent Imprint. _

_I know, but I don't have a choice. If I lost control and hurt her or...forced her into something she wasn't ready for, I wouldn't be able to live with myself,_ I explained.

Sam nodded._ I'll gather the council and we'll come to a decision regarding Paul's punishment. I expect you'll be back later to see it executed?_

_Wouldn't miss it for the world_, I replied dryly. Though I wasn't really ready for the council to know of my Imprinting on a vampire - I hadn't even told Charlie yet - I didn't see any way around it. Well, that and the fact that I knew for sure Sue would never let me live it down.

_I could almost see her smirk now. _

_I'll leave you to it, then._ He turned, leaping into the darkness. I watched him go for a moment before lifting the shields around my mind, blocking my thoughts from the pack. At the sound of a clearing throat, I turned toward my Imprint.

A small smile curled her lips as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, her hands clasped behind her back. "Alone at last. Whatever shall we do?" Her voice was light, bell like and holding just a hint of mischief.

I couldn't resist the smile that curled my animal-like lips.

If I didn't know that it was already a sure thing, - we were soul mates, after all - I found out in that moment that we were going to get along together wonderfully.

**Authors Note;** Sorry it's taken me sooooo long to update, guys. I've been crazy busy at work...The store I work at is going through a major remodel and I've been working CRAZY hours, so I've only been able to force out a few paragraphs before exhaustion claims me. This chapter probably sucks, for which I apologies, but my muse hasn't been up to par and I didn't want to keep you guys waiting too long. Hopefully I'll be back to normal soon!

Please don't forget to leave me a review to let me know how sucky this chapter was ;D I'm really excited about getting into the drama with the Leah situation, too, so let me know what you think about that unexpected turn of events, yeah?

Much love, Luxor


	12. Chapter 12

I can only explain this moment as one thing.

Awkward.

Now, don't get me wrong, Alice had, quite literally in a single instant, became my life, the only reason I lived and breathed, but this was the most awkward moment of my life.

That was saying a lot, for a one-hundred and ninety-seven year old.

After quickly grabbing Seth's ripped jean shorts and grey wife beater and ducking into the shadows to shift and change - which Alice gave an adorable little pout about - Alice and I stood many feet away from one another. Our eyes were focused on one another, but it seemed like neither of us knew what to say.

Which brought us back to awkward.

What exactly do you say to the person your destined to spend the rest of your immortal life with on the first technical time you've met, at least in human form?

Hi just didn't seem to cut it.

But of course, my little pixie had to say just that.

After many moments of silence, our eyes riveted on one another, she flashed me a beaming smile and closed the distance between us, leaving only a sparse foot. One hand extended, glittering in the moonlight, and her sweet voice rang in my ears, "Hello. I'm Mary Alice Brandon, also known as Alice Cullen, your resident vampire psychic."

Despite myself, I chuckled, even as I took her cold hand in mine. Tingles spread throughout my body just from the simple touch, and I couldn't help but wonder what her hands would feel like on the rest of my skin. Her natural coldness seemed to sooth my natural fire, and her hand fit perfectly in my own.

"Isabella Marie Swan, also known as Bella, your resident were-cat hybrid, at your service." I bowed over her hand, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. She giggled softly, and I had a hunch that she would be blushing if she could.

"Why, how chivalrous," she commented with a raised eyebrow.

I winked, giving her a smirk of my own. "I live only to serve thee."

She giggled. If only she knew just how true those words were.

Her scent filled my nostrils, flooding my lungs and I basked in it. She smelled so different from other bloodsuckers. Where the scent of vampires was typically sickeningly sweet and overpowering, her own was sweet, a delicate and balanced mixture of oranges and honeysuckle. She smelt like summer, like the vineyards of my homeland.

I placed one last soft kiss upon her hand before straightening. Our eyes met once more and I knew how easily I could get lost in them.

"Careful now," she warned with a playful smile, "I might just take advantage of that."

"Oh, I dearly hope you do."

She smiled again, twining her fingers with my own. "Will you walk with me?"

I nodded before the words even finished leaving her mouth and she beamed, pulling me along. We walked slowly, hand in hand, side by side in silence, but neither of us felt the need to speak. Even though we hardly even knew each other, it was a comfortable quiet, one that didn't need to be filled with words for us to express how we felt. It was peaceful, serene.

"I just want to thank you...for coming when you did."

"You have nothing to thank me for. I would give my life in place of yours." I cut her off before she could even finish that sentence. I didn't want to think of what might have happened if I hadn't arrived. Paul was a decent fighter, and I'm sure Alice was skilled as well, but just thinking about her hurt in any way caused me great amounts of pain.

"Well then at least let me apologize about Edward," she insisted.

"No need."

She scoffed. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" She questioned with a playful smirk.

I shot her one of my own. "The stubbornest. Well, besides Leland." Inwardly, I cursed myself for the slip of my tongue, but at the same time, I wanted to tell her everything about myself just as I wanted to know everything about hers.

"Who is Leland?" Alice asked innocently, just as I expected her to.

We passed a moment in silence, strolling along peacefully hand-in-hand. "She's my daughter."

Alice froze in apparent shock, her jaw slack and her eyes wide. She recovered quickly, though, blinking a few times before stuttering back to me, "D-daughter...?"

"Yes, she's my daughter. She's very stubborn, even more so than me."

"How old is she?"

"Five."

"She's five?" Alice asked with a small smile, almost as if she had heard wrong and I didn't have such a young child.

I nodded and she smiled wider.

"What's she like?" She seemed genuinely interested, which only made me adore her more. She was taking an interest in my life, in my family.

I beamed as I answered, "She reminds me of you, actually. She's a very excitable and happy girl. She always knows how to put a smile on my face, without even trying. She loves to draw and paint. She's very friendly and polite."

"Like you." Alice smile at the obvious pride in my voice, squeezing my hand gently. "Does she look like you?"

"Like a little clone."

Her smile widened. "I would absolutely love to meet her one day." I could hear the longing in her voice, and I squeezed her hand in return.

"Soon. You can meet her and Charlie, my son." Her steps faltered slightly, but she covered it very well.

Her eyebrows raised and she turned a questionable glance my way. "Charlie? Chief of police Charlie?" I nodded, and she smirked. "Exactly how old are you?"

I chuckled, passing her a wink. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's not polite to ask a woman her age?"

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," she teased.

I sighed, rolling my eyes playfully. "Physically, I'm only twenty, but if you want to get technical I'm a hundred and ninety-seven. And yourself?"

"Why, I'm only nineteen," she replied, her voice holding a mischievous lilt that had me smiling.

"And just how long have you been nineteen?" I replied just as playfully.

"A while." I could tell from the twitching at the corners of her lips that those were the only words she would be saying, and I groaned.

"Aliiice!" I whined, letting the bell-like chime of her laughter fill my ears.

"Alright, alright. I was born in 1901 and changed in 1920."

"Hmm, so only a hundred and eight, huh? I feel like a pedophile now," I teased, sending her a wink.

She giggled, tightening her hold on my hand. "Yeah, but your my pedophile."

We both froze at the words, myself in shock and Alice in horror at her slip. I felt a wave of elation flood me as she called me hers and Lykenia purred beneath the surface even as Alice's presence both calmed her and excited. That elation was soon replaced with a burning need to claim her as mine as she had claimed me as hers. I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss her, brush my scent across her skin and prove to everyone that she belonged to me, and it was with great effort that I restrained myself and over-rode my instincts, something Lykenia was not happy about.

Alice, however, had taken my silence as a bad sign. Desperately, she clasped my hands in her own smaller ones, her golden eyes pleading silently with me. "I'm sorry, Bella, it just came out. I didn't mean it like that, I just-"

I shushed her with a finger to her lips. "I am," I whispered softly. At her confused expression, I smiled softly. "I am yours."

She beamed, lifting my hands to her lips to kiss first one, then the other. We smiled at each other before we continued on our stroll, content smiles on our lips. "Is it weird?" she asked after a few moments of silence.

My brown crunched up in confusion, passing her a questionable glance. "Is what weird?"

"Is it weird to feel so...connected to one person so soon after meeting them? To feel so strongly?"

I pulled her to a stop, my eyes meeting her golden ones and holding them. "Not at all," I answered in a soft whisper.

"I had visions of you, you know? Before you came here, I saw you. I felt it even then, the connection. I knew I needed you in my life, but it wasn't until that day in the cafeteria that I realized how much."

My head tilted to the side slightly, my brow furrowing in confusion, "you saw me?" Alice nodded. "But how? You can't see the wolves, so why can you see me?"

My mate shook her head slightly, her lips pursing in thought. "I don't know. At first, I could only see quick flashes, but my visions gotten a little clearer after...after that day in the cafeteria."

"Ah, I see." It made sense, to me at least. I was only half shape-shifter; my diluted blood had no doubt allowed her foresight admittance to my future. My Imprinting had only strengthened that bond. "What have you seen?"

"Nothing, really..." From the hesitation and tone of her voice, I knew she was lying and I lifted a brow in silent accusation. She sighed, her shoulder heaving in defeat and I resisted the urge to smirk at my small victory. "I saw you...you decided to go away...into the mountains."

By all intents and purposes, we were, technically, strangers but I could still hear the sadness this caused her in the soft tones of her voice and I felt a sharp stab of my own sadness for causing her this pain.

"I have to, Ali."

She beamed at the nickname, even as her golden pools filled with sadness at my un-needed verbal confirmation, "but why?"

It was my turn to sigh as I once more took her hand and led her toward a large fallen pine a few yards away. "I have to explain some things to you, Alice, and they may be things you're not quite ready to hear."

Alice simply smiled, pulling me gently down to sit beside her, "Bella, I want to know everything about you and your life, and nothing you ever tell me can make me run away from you."

I saw nothing but sincerity in her eyes, so I took a deep breath and broke the silence again. "I was born in 1816, to Charles Allen Swan and Elizabeth Anne Swan. My mother was a Child of the Moon and my father was a panther shape-shifter. When my parents met, my father Imprinted on my mother." I could see her silent question, and answered without pause, "Imprinting is like...it's how our kind find our soul mates. The second our eyes meet it's like everything instantly stops and nothing exists but her. You would do anything, be anything she needs you to be, change anything about yourself, and be a protector or a lover or a friend...whatever she needs." She nodded in understanding, and I continued my story.

"The second my parent's eyes met, my mother became my father's world. However, while Shape-shifters Imprint, Children of the Moon do not. Still, my mother was bound to my father from that moment on. They married and had children. I was one of those children. As far as I know, my siblings and I were the first of our kind, hybrids. We inherited the best of both worlds, I guess you could say...at least, mostly.

"You see, where Children of the Moon _can _control their changes, they typically take minutes to complete and are very painful. In animal form, they resemble something between a wolf and a man, just like your typical werewolf clichés in human media. Wolfs bane and Silver are poisonous, as is Vampire venom and can kill if a large enough dose is administered or it's left in their bloodstream too long. During the full moon each month, they completely lose control of themselves and the animal inside takes over. The change takes hours and is much more painful than usual. But, they have a few advantages. For one, a Child of the Moon can change only certain aspects of their body at a time, such as their teeth or claws. Their minds are naturally resilient to mental attacks and they are Immortal.

"Shape-shifters are completely different. Instead of taking the form of a human-wolf amalgamation, they take the form of an animal, though much, much larger. Vampire venom, silver and wolfs bane have no effect of them, and the change is almost completely painless and instantaneous. They don't suffer from the effects of the full moon, but at the same time they lack the mental Guards of a Child of the Moon, and once they start the shift, they can't stop...it's all or nothing, with a Shape-shifter. They age as any normal human would, as long as they don't shift regularly and vampires aren't in the area. Their body heat is typically higher than a werewolf's, as is their metabolism."

Alice sat quietly, absorbing the information I gave her, giving a small occasional nod or 'mhm' but otherwise remaining silent.

"I, and my siblings, inherited the best of both worlds. I take the form of a panther, like my father, I'm immune to natural werewolf poisons, my body heat is well above average for a human and I will never age because, technically, I'm forced to shift at least three nights a month. I retain the ability to alter certain aspects of my body at will, and the barriers of my mind are impenetrable unless I wish them otherwise. My shifting is painless, for the most part."

Alice's brow furrowed in concern, and I couldn't help but smile. "For the most part?"

I nodded, "You see, I also inherited the curse of the full moon. While I'm naturally stronger around the end of the month, on the three days of the full moon, I lose control of myself. I become the animal I spend the rest of the month controlling. I become dangerous, volatile, and unpredictable."

"And the Full Moon is tomorrow..." Alice finish for me.

"Yes. I can't risk being around you. Though I know I would never hurt you, I can't say the same about anyone else. Even during the day, my control would be completely on edge, it would only take the smallest thing for me to lose it. If I were around you...I can't say that I wouldn't kill any boy or girl that even looked at you, innocently or not, and I can't say that I would be able to keep myself from shoving you against a wall and claiming you as mine for every single Forks teenager to see."

Her head bowed, and I knew she would be blushing if it were still physically possible. I smiled, squeezing her hand softly. "It's because you Imprinted on me, isn't it?"

I nodded, "It is."

"Why did you run, that day in the cafeteria?" Alice asked after a few moments of silence, surprising me slightly. I sighed internally, knowing there was no avoiding it, but I really didn't want to get into this right now.

"Let's just say," I began, as vaguely as possible, "that I never thought I would Imprint...after two-hundred years, I just thought it was one of those traits of my Father's I had the fortune of not inheriting. When I finally did, I was overwhelmed...I just...needed a second to take it all in. Plus, you're a vampire, and your kind of supposed to be my enemy. I'm supposed to hate your kind by nature."

She nodded, down casting her eyes to our intertwined arms, the delicate fingers of one hand tracing the pale, cold outline of a scar on my wrist. I remembered the day I had gotten that scar well, as well as the face of the demon that had given it to me, all while trying to resist pulling Alice's fingers away from it.

Out of all the blemishes on my body, I didn't want her touching that one. That mark was the entire reason I had become what I was.

"Do you?" she asked softly, jerking me from my thoughts.

"Do I what?"

"Hate my kind."

I sighed. This wasn't the time or place for this conversation, and it wasn't something I had any intention of getting into just yet. "I don't hate you. I could never hate you."

"And my family?"

"Isn't it enough that I don't hate you?" I retorted, a bit more harsh than I meant to. Her face dropped further, and I internally kicked myself. "Ali, I'm sorry...I...I would never do anything to hurt you, even hurting your family. But...you can't ask me to like them, at least not yet. My whole life, I've hated vampires. I can't just change that in a day just because I've imprinted."

"But why?" She asked, frustration evident in her voice, "Why do you hate vampires?"

"It's a long story, Alice, and now is not the time or the place to have it."

She sighed deeply, closing her eyes for a moment before her golden orbs locked onto mine. "Okay," she whispered as she leaned her head against my shoulder. I smiled a half-hearted smile at my victory and rested my head against her own, breathing in her scent.

Quiet fell throughout the smallish clearing, silence soon filled with the purring of insects and the rusting of rodents in the underbrush as they determined that the two predators in their presence posed no threat, at least at the moment. I hummed softly to the music of the forest, a lullaby I had often sang to Charlie when he was a young boy to help him sleep and sang still to Leland. From the even sound of Alice's breathing, I knew she would probably be asleep by now if she still could.

"Bella?" She whispered after a few peaceful moments, as if she feared to break the fragile peace if she spoke too loud.

I ceased my humming and craned my head to look at her serene expression, her eyes closed and her lips pulled into a small smile. "Yes?"

"Why did you want to kill Paul?" she asked in the same soft tone.

"It's against the law to harm another's Imprint," I explained, "By attacking you, he broke that law. Typically, in packs or clans, the Imprinter and the Law breaker would enter into a fight to the death...the Imprinter hardly ever loses. Since I'm not an official member of the pack, Paul's punishment will be decided by the council. If I don't feel like it's severe enough, I'll have the right to contest and, technically, if I really wanted to kill him, there is nothing the pack could say against it. Hell, most of them would probably support me."

"Can you promise me something?"

As much as I wanted to be wary of her words, I knew I'd be kidding myself by even trying to deny her anything. "I'll promise you the sun if you want it," I swore, smiling as she opened her eyes and beamed.

"That was so incredibly cheesy yet so romantic I might just have to swoon," she teased.

I smirked. "By all means, swoon away."

"I just might, right after I get that promise." A small smile tugged the corners of her lips, and it takes everything I had not to kiss the shit out of her right then and there, but it wasn't the time or the place for our first kiss.

Call me crazy or blame it on my upbringing, but I wanted our first kiss to be romantic, not the result of high-strung emotions brought on by the full moon and three too many life-or-death situations in one night.

"Alright, let's hear it so we can get on to the good stuff," I told her with a smirk.

She raised an eyebrow and flashed me the most adorable half-smile I've ever seen before her eyes suddenly turned serious and her lips press into a flat line. "Promise me you won't kill Paul?"

I sighed. Shoulda known that one was coming...I wanted to tell her I couldn't make such a promise, that it went against my nature to do such a thing, but one look in her pleading golden eyes proved that it would be a battle I would lose.

Didn't mean I couldn't try, though. "Alice, you can't ask me to do that...You have no idea how territorial my kind are when it comes to their mates, and you're far more to me than just a mate. You're quite literally my reason for existence and Paul threatened that."

I could tell she was beyond happy with my admission, but she shook her head softly and pinned me with her gaze. "It's the same with vampires. Don't you think I wanted to rip Edward to pieces when he hurt you? But...if you killed him, I would always know that it was because of me, and I can't handle that."

God dammit! Fucking vampire Imprint and her fucking pleading eyes. I'd only known her for a few hours and I already knew she would be the death of me.

I sighed in frustration, looking away from her toward the shifting shadows, trying not to give into her demand. I didn't want her living with the guilt, but she didn't understand.

"Why didn't you do it?" I asked softly, refusing to look at her again.

"Do what?"

Confusion was thick in her voice, so I elaborated. "Kill him. When I came, you were holding back. I could tell. Paul is a decent fighter, but I have little doubt he could have actually beat you. Why?" I finally looked back at her, locking eyes. I needed to see the truth in her eyes when she spoke her answer.

"I didn't want to hurt him. He jumped to the wrong conclusion and I knew all I needed to do was stall long enough for someone to show up so I could explain."

She spoke as if her actions were completely innocent, as if she were justified in doing what she had and a part of me could understand her reluctance to end another's life, but I needed her to see why her hesitation had scared me to such, and why I had to make an example out of Paul.

"And what if that someone had been another wolf? What if they had attacked you too? What if they had...killed you?" It was almost physical pain to say that word in any association with my little pixie.

Understanding dawned in her eyes, but I could still tell she didn't fully understand where I was coming from. "But they didn't. You showed up."

I grunted in frustration before I could help myself, pulling my hands from her own and standing in a flash. I was on the other side of the clearing before she even registered that I had moved, and looked at me with surprised eyes. "You don't get it Alice!" I exclaimed, the obvious raw emotion in my voice causing the forest to fall silent again. "If I hadn't imprinted on you, you would be dead right now!"

She stood slowly, as if she feared startling me, but she made no move to approach me. Only concern shown in her eyes, with a hint of puzzlement, but they were devoid of fear even in the face of my anger, which I was glad for. I never wanted her to fear me.

"Bella..." she began softly, only to be cut off by the sharp wave of my hand.

"Will you always hesitate like that, Alice, just because you don't want to hurt someone? Will you always place yourself at risk to save your conscience? Hesitation can get you killed, and all it would have taken was one lucky shot. Just one lucky shot, Alice."

I could tell from the flash in her eyes that she finally realized what had me so upset. She was before me in less than a heartbeat, pulling my hands into her own. "I'm not going anywhere, if that's what your worried about. I only just found you." She placed a feather light kiss on my knuckles and some of the tension drained from my muscles. "If I had thought for a second that my life was in any danger, I wouldn't have held back but I just...I just knew everything would be okay." I raised an eyebrow, the skin between my brows furrowing in confusion. She smiled and answered my question before I even had a chance to ask. "No, I can't see the wolves, so it wasn't a vision. I just...it was just a feeling. I just knew."

Her words had reassured me, if only slightly. I pulled her into my arms, wrapping them around her waist and nuzzling into her shoulder. Her own small arms wound around my neck as her dainty fingers weaved into my wild mane as I breathed her in, as if to reassure myself that she was still there.

"I just...the thought of you..."

"I know," She continued when I trailed off uncertainty, unable to even force the word 'dead', from my lips again. "Is that why you wanted to kill him?"

I nodded against her shoulder, tightening my grip on her. "It would have made an example of him. It would have shown the others what would happen to them if they tried hurting you."

She pulled back just enough to look me in the eye, leaning her forehead against mine. "I understand, I really do, but please...promise me you won't."

My eyes closed and I heaved a sigh, nodding in defeat. "Okay. I promise I won't kill him, but I can't promise I won't hurt him a little."

She giggled, the sound bringing a smile to my lips at how adorable it was and when I opened my eyes again, her own were twinkling with amusement. "Very well, Isabella, I accept your compromise."

Taking her hand, I lead her back to the fallen log, strattling the body and leaning my back against sturdy tree positioned behind me. She smiled and took my silent invitation, settling between my legs and resting against me, while I wrapped my arms around her waist and linked my fingers together on her stomach. She snuggled deeper into my embrace, her ice-cold hands resting atop my own, a soft sigh of contentment leaving her lips as her head leaned back on my shoulder.

"I like it," she said softly after a few moments of peaceful silence, rubbing her thumb against my wrist. I shivered from her touch, Goosebumps erupting along my tanned skin.

"Like what?"

"How you're so hot."

I smirked into her neck, brushing my lips against the exposed skin of her shoulder and was rewarded with a shudder of her own. "Babe, I'm sexy, not hot."

She giggled again, lightly elbowing me and rolling her eyes. "I'm defiantly not going to disagree with that, but I meant your temperature, smartass."

"I know," I replied with a chuckle, "just thought I would remind you."

"Trust me, I don't need any reminding."

We both smiled softly and I nuzzled into her neck. "I like it too," I whispered against her skin. Unbidden, a purr rumbled in my chest, only to be eclipsed by her soft giggles.

"It's adorable when you purr, too," she commented humorously. I growled, no real malice in the sound and pinched her arm. She yelped in surprise and turned to glare at me, "What was that for!"

I rolled my eyes and smirked, both of us knowing that she had barely felt it. "I'm not adorable. I'm too bad ass to be adorable."

"You are adorable," she protested, her faux indignation forgotten in wake of my mischievousness, "and I'm so much more badass than you."

I scoffed. "Oh please!"

"I am! I see the future! That's _so _badass," She argued.

"Sweetie, I change into a giant black panther, I ride a motorcycle, I have all these sexy battle scars and I have a tattoo. That's all _way _more badass than seeing the future. Besides, it's pretty hard to be badass when you sparkle..."

"Hey!" she protested irately before the rest of my comment registered and overshadowed her false anger. "Wait...you have a tattoo?"

I smirked. _Bella - 1, Alice - 0. _

"Yep." I replied, popping my 'p' smugly.

Her lips pulled into a smirk of her own and her eyes drooped a bit. "Sooooo...where exactly is this tattoo and when will I get to see it." One hand began tracing idle hands on my forearm, occasionally tracing the outline of an old scar and she looked up at me through her eyelashes.

To say butterflies fluttered in the pit of my stomach would be completely inaccurate. It was more like I had swallowed an army of bald eagles and they were all dukeing it out to see who got the pleasure of kicking my ass for swallowing them in the first place once they had clawed their way out.

_Bella - 1, Alice - 1. _

Cheater...

It took me a moment to regain my breath as well as my confidence and I shook my head to rid it of the after effects of my dazed state. These, of course, only made her smirk widen, and I smiled brightly. "You can see it right now, babe. It's only on my shoulder."

She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest and huffing.

And she calls me adorable...

"Ah, well, if you're gonna be like that I guess you won't be able to see it..." I trailed off innocently and her eyes widened almost comically.

"No!" She exclaimed, grasping my arm. "I wanna see it."

I smiled at my victory. Pushing away from the tree behind me, I nodded my head toward my back. "It's on my back left shoulder."

Alice was instantly standing, hovering over my left side while a single hand lifted to brush the baggy fabric of Seth's too-large wife-beater out of the way, exposing the black ink on my skin. She gasped almost inaudibly, the other hand lifting to trace the outline of the Black Panther that stretched across my shoulder.

Even as I basked in the soothing affect her icy touch had on the fire of my skin, I could picture the shape she drew perfectly in my mind's eye - The thick black lines formed a creature of raw and feral power, Mouth agape showcasing a row of lethal teeth while it's claws seemed to dig into my flesh. I wore it proudly.

"It's beautiful," Alice whispered softly, giving the ink one last tender caress before she pulled her fingers away from my skin and allowed the fabric fall back into place. I missed her touch immediately as she reclaimed her spot beside me, this time facing me. "What does it mean?"

"It's kind of an unspoken rule for shifters, that they wear the mark of their pack or clan, as a sign of unity, belonging and allegiance. The one I wear is the mark of my father's people." She nodded silently, waiting patiently for me to go on when she sensed I had more to say. After a pause to gather my thoughts, I continued, "they were a very powerful clan of Panther shifters, occupying a large territory near Sicily, Italy. My father was the son of their leader. When he imprinted on a werewolf, he was disgraced. Children of the Moon had been their enemies for generations, and by imprinting on one, my father had essentially, in his clan's mind, betrayed them. His father demanded he make a choice; his imprint, or his people.

"When my father refused to give up his Imprint, he was exiled. Together, he and my mother fled to Messina where they made their own life. His friends and family, everyone he had ever known and grown up with, loved and trusted, had turned their backs on him just because of something he had no control over, but despite what his father and his people had done to him, he wore his mark with pride. When I first shifted, I took it, not to show allegiance to the people that had turned their backs on my father, but to show my allegiance and love for him."

"You sound like you loved him very much," she whispered softly.

I smiled half-heartedly, even as my heart clenched in my chest. "I did. We were very close, my father and I."

"What happened to him?" Her voice held a nervous edge, and I knew she could tell it was a sensitive subject for me and feared offending me.

I simply smiled sadly, taking one of her smaller hands in my own. "That's a subject for another day."

She seemed disappointed, but didn't press the issue. Instead, she gave me a genuine smile. "It's beautiful."

I beamed, squeezing her hand slightly. "He would have loved you, ya know."

She seemed intrigued, her perfectly sculpted eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "But I'm a vampire..."

"I know," I told her with a grin. "He imprinted on someone who was a part of a race that was considered his kind's enemy, I highly doubt he would have been bothered that you're a vampire. In fact, he probably would have thought it hilarious, since I'm so much like him, that I even followed in his footsteps in that regard as well. That's us, the Swans; breaking the laws of nature since 1810." We both laughed. "Besides, he was always a very open-minded man, especially after he met my mother."

She laughed softly. "Like Father like Daughter, huh?" She smiled at me quickly, but then a stormy expression covered her face.

I frowned, ducking my head a little to force her to look into my eyes when they fell to the bark of the tree beneath us. "Hey, what's wrong?"

She was silent for a minute, her eyes flashing to mine only a second when I squeezed her hand, and she took a deep breath. "I was just...you said your father was very open minded and you're a lot like him...but you hate vampires."

I sighed heavily, lifting my free hand to wipe across my face. "Alice, that's different. Mine are different circumstances. I didn't just start hating vampires without cause...I have my reasons." She opened her mouth to speak, but I already knew what she was going to say and I pressed a single finger against her lips. "Not tonight, sweetie. I'll tell you, I promise. Just...please not tonight."

She sagged in defeat but otherwise nodded, and I thanked her for her understanding, but a new tension now filled the air between us. In a desperate attempt to break it, I requested, "So, enough about me. Tell me about you."

She perked up immediately, going on to tell me about how she had roamed around for years alone before she had her first visions of meeting Jasper. She explained waiting for him and how, together, the two of them had travelled to meet the Cullens, both because they didn't want to be killers, and how Jasper had met Bree. She told me about their whirlwind romance, straight out of a novel, and just how perfect they were together.

From the way she spoke of him and the glint she got in her eye, I could tell she was very close to Jasper, and I couldn't help but be a little jealous of the bond they shared, even though I knew I shouldn't. I had that same bond with Jake and Tia, so I really couldn't begrudge her her own and it wasn't like he was a threat. Jasper was happily mated and Alice was my soul mate.

Didn't change anything, though.

Anyway, she told me about how much she adored Carlisle and Esme and just how wonderful they were, how Bree and Emmett always got in trouble with their pranking and exactly how big of a child her biggest brother was. She complained about Edward's constant brooding and Blond Bitch's incessant bitchiness, but I could tell from the fondness in her voice that she loved them very much anyway.

Just from the excitement and love in her tone and eyes, I felt some of the coldness I felt toward the rest of the Cullens melt just a little bit. I could tell how much her family meant to her and I knew without her saying it that she hoped that I would grow to love them as well, to be a part of the family.

I wanted to give her that, more than anything. I wanted to make her happy, even if it meant sucking it up and socializing with vampires.

I wouldn't like it, but I would do it.

We talked for what felt like eternity, trading stories about our families or gossip from school, laughing and teasing one another easily, but, as I looked into the night sky to see the nearly full moon hanging high at its zenith, I knew our time was not nearly enough. She knew what I was going to say as soon as our eyes met again, and her shoulders heaved with a soft sigh.

"I have to go. They'll be passing Paul's judgment soon," I said forlornly, not liking the thought of leaving any more than her.

"I know," she whispered, standing from her seat. I followed, swiftly pulling her into my arms and holding her to me as tight as I could manage without hurting her. She clung to me just as tightly and buried her face in my shoulder even as I buried mine in her neck.

"Will I see you Monday at school?" Her voice was muffled by my shoulder, but I heard her loud and clear and nodded an affirmative.

"Yeah, bright and early. The last day of the Full Moon isn't as hard, so I'll be able to manage. "

"I don't know if I can go two days without seeing you."

"Me neither, but we have to," I breathed.

"I know."

We stood in silence, holding one another, neither wanting to let go knowing it would be another two days before we would see each other again.

"I'll be waiting," she said finally, inhaling deeply, filling her lungs with my scent. I did the same, basking in the smell of her for only a few seconds before she stepped from my arms and moved a few steps back.

My body and mind protested, wanting to reach out and pull her back, close to me where she belonged, but I resisted. Our eyes held, even as I felt the brown bleed from my own to be replaced with piercing yellow. A tingle began along my spine and Lykenia stirred into wakefulness. Not a second later, I shifted bits and pieces of shredded clothing raining down on me. Alice didn't even flinch.

Making a mental note to make it up to Seth later for trashing his clothes, I closed the distance between us, pressing the top of my head against her chest. As she had before, her fingers wove through my thick fur and she leaned against me, nuzzling her face into the place between my ears. A purr rumbled in my chest and I felt her smile before she pressed a kiss to my head and whispered, "Go. The sooner you leave the sooner you can get back to me."

I growled in agreement, breathing her in once more before lifting my head. Our eyes met and she cupped my cheek as she smiled at me. Unable to help myself, my sand-paper tongue snaked out to rake across her cheek a split second before I turned and raced into the shadows.

"Bella! Gross!" Her outraged cries chased after me, and I smiled. The underlying amusement in her ringing, bell-like voice did little to dull the ache in my chest that only grew with every step I took from her.

**Parting Words;** Okay, this chapter is a bit longer than the last few. I've gotten back to the length most of you are used to, and hopefully my miraculous muse will hold out till the end, so let's keep our fingers crossed, yeah?

I really wanted this chapter to be a real bonding moment for our couple, so I kinda jumped all over the place. One second they're snuggling and the next they're arguing and the next they're teasing one another, but it WAS supposed to be that way...I didn't go all bipolar on you. Plus, you have to realize that Bella's emotions are all OVER the place with it being so close to the Full Moon and that comes into play a lot in this chapter. I hope you liked it anyway, but please Lemme know anyway ;D

I do realize they're kind of intimate for a couple who supposedly just met, Imprint or not, but don't worry, it'll mellow out in the following chapters. Bella is not normally so emotionally expressive right off the bat but, again, it being so close to the Full Moon, she's running high on emotions and instincts, and Imprinters naturally like to be close to their Imprint so...yeah...lots of snuggling. But, no, they're not just going to jump right into the 'OMG ILY!'s right away.

Also, for my returning readers and those of you using the alerts system, some things have changed regarding Bella that I think you might be confused about. Most of this confusion probably comes from reading chapter 4, which has been revised, but I'll explain anyway. Yes, Bella is Immortal. She will never die unless someone or something kills her. She'll never age, either. This comes from the Werewolf part of her genes. In chapter four, before revision, it was said that she took after a Shifter in the sense that she could age if she stopped shifting, like the La Push wolves would. Obviously, that's not true anymore.

Sorry for the mix-up. The original idea when I began this story was going to be that Bella was the daughter of a panther shifter and a wolf shifter and she just took the form of her father, but I decided to change it to a werewolf-shifter hybrid instead, hence the changes in Bella's general genetic make-up. It's not a huge change and doesn't alter anything from previous chapters too drastically, but it does make for more awesomeness in future chapters that I hope you'll enjoy. Anyway, Bella's still immortal and badass, she's just slightly more badass now. If you're still confused, please feel free to message me and I'll explain it in more detail.

Last but not least, obviously there is a picture of Bella's tattoo on my profile, if you want a visual. Also, I realized that I never posted Bree's picture, so it's there as well. I never liked the Bree they chose for Eclipse and, of course, my Bree is a bit older, so I went with Lyndsy Fonesca as her face claim.

Okay, lastly (for real this time) I'm looking for a good, experienced BETA Reader for this story and maybe some of my others. I need someone who has Beta'd before and know what they're doing, as well as someone that's fairly active. MUST have an established BETA Reader profile, and I would prefer someone with writings of their own that I could look at and read to better understand their own writing style and how it compliments my own. If you are interested, or know someone, please hit me up with a PM!

Much love, and sorry for the ramble,

Luxor.


	13. Chapter 13

After leaving Alice, I made my way home quickly. I still had an hour or so before the council would pass judgment, as I had learned from a quick mental communication with Collin, who had taken over Paul's patrol, and I desperately needed to see my family as well as get a change of clothes.

The familiar, small house soon made its way into my enhanced vision, and I carefully checked the nearby area to make sure no humans were around before I slipped from the shadows and made my way across the lawn toward the tree beneath my bedroom window. Thankfully, our house was somewhat isolated, so I had little fear of discovery, but instinct and habit had me automatically making absolutely sure. My muscles bunched as I lept into the air, shifting mid-leap - since the branches could doubtless hold the massive weight of my panther form - just in time to grasp the thick branch beneath my window.

Leveraging myself up, I swung lithely into the open gap, landing with a soft thud on my carpeted bedroom floor. Instinctually, my body flowed into a crouch as my eyes scanned the darkness of the room, searching for any hidden threats. Seeing I was alone, I quickly made my way toward my closet, tossing on a pair of black sweat pants and a black sports bra.

I could hear the steady heartbeats of Leland - asleep in her bed - and Charlie downstairs as well as the voices of this ESPN's Sports Announcers rattling off this week's football highlights playing downstairs, but I was slightly caught off guard by the roaring of a third heartbeat. I crept slowly and silently toward my door, twisting the doorknob and easing the door open cautiously before taking a deep sniff of the air. I smiled when the familiar and welcoming scent of Jake filled my nostrils, even as I rolled my eyes.

When I had asked him to look after my family, I hadn't meant starting right that _moment_.

Easing into the hallway, my earlier stealth shed like a second skin, I slipped into Leland's room to place a soft kiss on her forehead and her adjust her blanket as she slept before I skipped soundlessly down the stairs and into the living room, beaming at my boys. Jake, lounging comfortably on the couch, didn't even look up as he munched at the giant bowl of popcorn resting in his lap, his eyes riveted on the TV screen; he had already been keenly aware of my presence the second I stepped foot in the house, so my appearance was no surprise.

Charlie, however, sitting in his tan leather recliner like it was a throne with a beer in one hand, was startled by my sudden presence, jerking in my direction even as his hand reached automatically for the missing gun at his side. He relaxed as soon as he realized it was me, even though his heart still thundered in his chest. Jake laughed at his reaction and I joined in.

"Jesus Christ, don't do that to me!" Charlie all but shouted, the redness in his face slowly easing.

Jake smiling widely at me while Charlie glared. "Calm down Charlie, before you give yourself a heart attack," I teased, winking at Jake as the werewolf snickered under his breath. I cleared the last few steps to the couch and plopped down next to Jake comfortably.

"Yeah, well, you shouldn't scare the shit out of me then you wouldn't have to worry about heart attacks," he muttered indignantly.

"Language," I chastised out of habit, only to hear more grumbling from my son.

"So," I commented, grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bowl in Jake's lap and popping a few kernels into my mouth, "What have I missed these last few days?" I asked, trying to keep my voice light.

Though I had only been away from her for less than an hour, I missed her like crazy. I had no idea how I was going to make it through the weekend, but I knew I had no other choice. Saying it was going to be difficult was an understatement...with a capital UNDER.

I sighed, even as my son answered me. "Nothing terribly important. What have you been up to? I see you're in a better mood," he commented nonchalantly.

"You need to tell him, Bells. He's been really worried about you," Jake whispered softly, too low for my son to hear and I sighed again.

"I know," I returned, looking at Charlie just in time to glance my direction, concern all over his expression. "Charlie, we need to talk..."

He immediately looked suspicious, but nodded nonetheless, grabbing the remote to mute the TV. I grabbed another handful of popcorn and popped it in my mouth, chewing slowly in an effort to stall the conversation I knew was inevitable and I dreaded. Finally, the silence became almost insufferable, and I had to speak.

"Charlie," I began slowly, turning to face him but keeping my eyes down casted, "do you remember the first day of school? You got the call saying that I had skipped my last three classes and had been seen running off school grounds?"

He cleared his throat, shifting slightly in his seat opposite me and nodded. "Yeah. I just assumed that your control had almost slipped and you left to try and relax."

"You're not far off base..."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Care to explain?"

I didn't answer.

"Mom," he nearly whispered, "Is everything okay? I'm...I'm worried about you. These last few days you've been acting really off. I tried to pass it off as being so close to the full moon, but I've never seen you this...edgy before." I summoned the courage to look him in the eye, seeing nothing but concern and love there.

I fidgeted slightly under his gaze, taking a deep breath and stating as calmly as I could, "The other day at school, at lunch I kind of...I kind of Imprinted. On Alice Cullen. On a Vampire."

My eyes shot to the floor, almost fearing his reaction and I unknowingly held my breath. Jake shifted nervously, no doubt waiting for the same thing I was; Charlie to explode. But his breathing remained steady and his pulse never faltered. Slightly confused, I looked back up to see my son smiling widely.

Well, consider me thrown for a fucking loop. Glancing at Jake, I saw confusion likewise etched into his tribal features.

"...What?" I asked Charlie hesitantly.

He laughed, his body shaking with soft chuckles. "That's pretty ironic, don't you think Ma?"

Roaring laughter met both our ears, and I winced from the close proximity. "That's what I said!" Jake roared between gasping breaths and Charlie chuckled again.

I rolled my eyes. Figures, the two men in my life would be on the exact same wavelength. They both laughed, and they both rubbed it in my face how ironic the whole damn situation was. In that order. Now, all I was waiting for was for Sue to do the exact same thing in about an hour, and my life would be blissfully complete.

"So...you're not going to freak out?" I asked my son cautiously once Jake had gotten his laughter under control.

Charlie shrugged. "I'm a little surprised...I thought you always said you couldn't Imprint."

"I didn't think I would. I mean, it's been almost two-hundred years, Charlie. I just thought it was a trait of my father's I didn't inherit. Besides, I never wanted to imprint, so it didn't bother me." Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"I never understood that about you..." he muttered.

"Understood what?"

"Why you never wanted to Imprint," he answered.

I sighed. "You know why, Charlie. I've always felt like it took away my choice. I wouldn't get to choose the one I was to spend the rest of my eternity with...It was forced on me."

"But you've seen the relationships between Imprinted couples. Your parents, Tia and Dona, Sam and Emily...they're all perfect for each other. Why wouldn't you want that?" He seemed genuinely curious and confused.

Jake all but stopped breathing as he awaited my answer. I had never explained to him just why I hated the idea of Imprinting, and he had never asked, but I knew he wanted to know.

"I've always been a very independent person," I explained, my eyes on Charlie even though I spoke to them both. "You know this...It's just who I am. I follow my own rules; I do what I want when I want. So the idea of having the choice of who I love, of who I'm meant to be with taken from me never sat well with me," I explained gently, as best I could. Of course, it wasn't just about that.

I didn't just want to instantly fall in love with someone, as I had done to Alice. I wanted to get to know them, fall in love with them slowly. I wanted to learn every little aspect of their life and every flaw - large and small - and fall in love with them anyway. I wanted the whirlwind romance, complete with shy touches and small smiles and dates. I wanted that one moment - be it a kiss or something she said to me or just a random moment curled up on the couch watching a movie - that would make me realize 'I'm falling in love with this person' and be completely and absolutely okay with that. All with the person of _my _choosing.

And, after having the one I loved taken from me because of Imprinting, it had only made me hate it all the more.

"And now?" Charlie asked.

"And now..." That was the question, wasn't it? Sure, I had never wanted to Imprint, and I had wanted them with the person of my choosing. But my choice had been taken from me.

And knowing her now, I didn't resent it anymore. I didn't choose to love Alice. I hadn't wanted to look into her eyes and be bound to her in every way inhumanly possible. But I had, and now that I had her, now that I had accepted what had happened, I was surprised to find that I was actually happy it had happened and especially happy it had happened with Alice. I didn't necessarily _like _that she was a vampire, but I had accepted it as being a part of who she was.

Besides, we had the rest of eternity for shy touches and small smiles, moments to snuggle in front of the TV and soft kisses. We had time to discover everything about each other and I was sure that, with everything new I learned I would only love her more.

"And now, I realize what I've been missing."

Charlie beamed. Jake released his held breath in a huff. I rolled my eyes at them both.

"This is gonna be so weird, though."

"What is?" I asked curiously.

"Well, my future step-mom is an immortal teenager, for one."

I just sat there, silently, more than a little surprised at how well he was taking this.

In all truth, though, I expected Charlie's reaction to be way worse. I expected thrown dishware, yelling, screaming and a good firm grounding for my son for said yelling, screaming and throwing of dishware. He seemed to easily read the expression on my face, and chuckled softly.

"Mom," Charlie said, amusement thick in his voice, "relax. Unlike you, I haven't condemned every vampire in existence to a painful death just because of what a few did. And hey, look on the bright side - your craziness the last few days finally makes sense to me now."

"I know, and I'm sorry about that. I just...had a lot to figure out and a lot on my mind. I was confused and angry and my control was completely shattered. I didn't want you or Lee to see me like that," I explained, leaning slightly against Jake.

Charlie nodded. "I get it. No worries." Jake and I remained silent, allowing Charlie a few moments to process everything. "So how long did it take you to stop fighting it?"

I looked at him in shock as he nonchalantly took a sip from his beer. How the hell did he know that I had fought against the Imprint?

Taking one look at my face, he scoffed. "Oh please, Ma, don't look at me like I just told you baby Jesus could shit gold." Jake scoffed and tried to hide his guffaws. "You're my mother, I know you pretty damn well. I'm guessing that, as soon as you realized you had Imprinted on a vampire, you went completely batshit crazy and refused to believe and accept it."

Jake snorted and muttered under his breath, "I'll say. Pretty much cleared an entire section of woods and Bambi's practically extinct in La Push."

"Jake, shut up!" I growled in annoyance at his incessant commentary, earning a confused glance from Charlie and a laugh from my best friend.

"What's he saying?" my son asked, his brow furrowed as he glanced between me the wolf boy, obviously confused.

"Nothing," I grumbled. Charlie looked skeptical, but didn't press the issue. "So anyway," I continued, answering his previous question, "I stopped fighting it earlier tonight. Alice was taking a walk and drifted a little too close to the treaty like. Paul was on patrol, saw her, assumed the worst and attacked. I showed up just as he was about to attack her again and...I don't know, something snapped. I went crazy, beat the shit out of him and...And I knew I couldn't fight it anymore. I didn't _want _to fight it anymore.

Charlie nodded solemnly. He knew the pack's laws concerning Imprints, and he knew what it meant for Paul. "Are you going to kill him?"

I sighed heavily, fighting back my anger just thinking about that bastard and how he had attacked my mate. "I want to...I really, really want to, but I won't. Alice made me promise not to kill him," he raised his eyebrows and smirked, "besides, he's being judged by the council. It will be passed tonight."

"Speaking of," Jake announced, taking a glance toward the clock resting on the mantle of the fire place, "It's time to go, Bells. We have to be there soon."

I nodded, standing from my seat. Jake followed, and we both looked at my son.

"I'm going into the mountains for a few days. " Charlie raised an eyebrow in silent question, and I indulged him. "I need to get out of town for a while. I can't risk being so close to Alice when Lykenia takes over. She's very...possessive." He nodded, understanding the need for more distance. I typically stuck to myself on the full moon, avoiding all civilization. When Lyklenia had control, I became, for all intents and purposes, a wild animal and like a wild animal, I avoided humans like the plague. "I'll be back by Monday, so you won't have to lie to the school anymore."

He grumbled, Jake chuckled, and I smiled. During the last few days, thanks to my mostly MIA status, Charlie had been forced to call the school and tell them I was sick, which he wasn't happy about, especially since I wouldn't tell him exactly why I was skipping.

At least now he knew. Life's all about those little victories, right?

I skipped over to him over-exuberantly, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll see you Monday sweetie!" My voice was overly-cheeful and bubbly and he rolled his eyes at my playfulness...which he obviously didn't find funny. However, a smirk curled his lips and the smile fell from mine.

"I wouldn't be so happy, if I was you."

"And why not?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, "I'm about to go to the, for all intents and purposes, trial of the man that attacked my mate to witness the sweet joy that will be his punishment. What don't I have to be happy about?

"Three words," he began, holding up three fingers to illustrate his purpose, "Vampire. Imprint. Sue."

**X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X**

It didn't take Jake and I long to reach La Push. We headed directly toward the beach, taking only a moment to shift and slip into our clothes before we broke past the tree line. Everyone was present, as expected. The Elders sat on one side of the fire, gathered around Billy. Sue's eyes immediatly found mine and, though her face remained stoic and impassive, the twinkle in her eyes told me I was in for it.

The pack was gathered around the opposite side of the flames, Sam and Paul a step ahead of the rest. I noticed Leah was missing, but the rest were present. Collin and Brady, the pack's youngest members at the age of 13, stood nervously behind Quill, Embry, Jared and Seth and I felt a pang of sympathy for them as they fidgeted nervously.

The breeze shifted, alerting the wolves to mine and Jake's presence, and they all turned to watch us approach. Paul glared venomously and I couldn't resist smirking back, even as we joined the ranks. Jake moved to Sam's right side and I moved to neutral middle ground, standing off to one side between the two groups.

Billy cleared his throat, gaining our attention. "Now that we're all here, let's begin." He paused a moment, no doubt to grow suspense and it was not helping my temper. "From Sam's accounting of tonight's events, the Council and I have devised a suitable punishment. Not only is Paul to be held accountable for attacking Isabella's Imprint, which is punishable by death according to our laws, but he put the peace between the Cullens and the Tribe at risk. Before we pass judgment, though, a question must be asked."

All the elders looked at me, and the pack followed their lead. Steely composure and pride kept me from fidgeting under their gaze. Instead, I stood tall, my eyes meeting Billy's without hesitation. "Isabella," he spoke up, "do you wish the right to challenge Paul to the death for his offense against your Imprint?"

I didn't answer immediatly, instead turning cold eyes to Paul. He paled slightly at Billy's question and I smirked at his obvious fear. Lykenia purred as his inner wolf shrugged away in recognition at the greater predator. There was a pregnant silence, thick with tension.

"No." A sharp gasp passed from more than one mouth, but my eyes never strayed from Paul's, letting him see just how much I wanted to say yes.

Damn Alice and her promise.

"Very well..." Billy said hesitantly, as if he didn't expect such an answer from me. His eyes lingered on me for a moment before turning back to Sam, nodding to the Alpha to proceed.

"Paul Lahote, you have been found guilty of the crimes of attacking Isabella's Imprint as well as threatening the peace between the Tribe and the Cullens by both the Elders and the pack. Your punishment will be as follows, as commanded by the Alpha." Sam's voice quaked with the power of his Alpha Voice, and Paul stiffened, having no choice but to obey. "You are to be stripped of your rank completely. You are forbidden to shift for any reason until the Full Moon two months hence, and you will be receiving twenty lashes delivered by my hand. Furthermore, you must personally apologies both to the Cullens and to Isabella, and you are forbidden to attack any of the Cullens or Isabella again for any reason whatsoever."

I smirked in satisfaction. The loss of his rank, which was third-in-command, and having to apologize to both myself, Alice and her family would no doubt be worse in Paul's mind than the lashes he was to receive and being unable to shift. Paul was a very proud man, and the blow to that pride would be worse than any physical punishment. The lashes would hurt, I knew from experience, but his enhanced healing would heal the gashes in a few days. Still, the scars would remain. It wasn't a suitable replacement for death, but it would do.

Billy looked at me, his eyes meeting mine. "Isabella, is Paul's punishment satisfactory?"

I nodded, "It will do." Mine and Paul's eyes clashed, the disdain clear in his gaze and I couldn't help but let a small smirk curl my lips.

"Very well," the Elder said, turning back to Paul. "Do you have anything you wish to say?" he asked the wolf.

Paul sneered. "When I attacked the leech, I didn't know she was Isabella's Imprint." He practically spat my name, and it only made my smirk widen. "I shouldn't be held accountable for committing a crime I had no idea I was even committing."

"It doesn't matter," Sam spoke, his voice thick with certainty. "Alice Cullen had not breached the Treaty Line, but you attacked her anyway without cause."

His objection quelled, Paul's jaw locked in defiance, but he didn't speak again. Billy glanced to the rest of the pack, taking a second to look at each individual before he addressed them as well. "Will any of the pack step forward in Paul's defense?" Each boy remained silent, avoiding Paul's eyes. "Very well. Sam?"

The Alpha nodded, stepping away from the pack and around the fire to grab the lash the Elder held in his outstretched hand. Sam's face was stoic, expressionless, but I could see in his eyes that it hurt him to do what he was about to do. Everything in him, in all the wolves, went against hurting a brother, but past that pain, I could also see determination. He knew what needed to be done. Paul had to be made an example of, just as I had tried to explain to Alice. Attacking another's Imprint was forbidden, and Paul was lucky to be getting off so easy. If it had been anyone else, if it had been a pack member who's Imprint he had attacked, he would be dead and the only reason he wasn't already was because of my mate's bleeding heart.

"Jacob, Jared," The Alpha commanded, nodding toward his Beta and the newly appointed Third-in-Command. The two boys stepped forward wordlessly, each grabbing one of Paul's forearms to keep him from trying to run. As I looked toward the law-breaker, his eyes met mine and I could see the defiance in them. He just didn't understand, so I would make him.

"Wait, Sam," I requested. The Alpha paused, confused, as I cleared the distance between me and Paul. "Let me ask you this, Paul. What if it had been Rachel?" His eyes flashed and lowered to the ground, his jaw clenching. "It might not have been my choice to Imprint on Alice, but I couldn't help it any more than you could. So, what if it had been Rachel? You may not have known, Paul, but you threatened the most important person in the world to me. You might not like Alice or the fact that she's a vampire - hell, I don't like it much either - but in killing her, you would have killed me*. You're a good man. You're not a murderer, Paul, and even though we've never seen eye to eye, I know you wouldn't wish me dead. Besides, even if she hadn't been my Imprint, attacking her would have broken the treaty, and the pack would have a war on their hands...a war I'm sure we would win, but at what cost? You might not die, but what of your brothers? What about Seth, or Brady, or Collin? Their just children. Could you really live with yourself if your actions cost them their lives? "

When his eyes met my own again, I found what I was looking for; acceptance. He was accepting the consequences for committing an unspeakable act and he understood now the gravity of his crime. Not only that, he was genuinely remorseful, which was more than just a lashing would have made him. That would have only fueled his fire, made him all the more angry and unstable.

"You're a good man, Paul," I repeated, setting a slight hand on his shoulder, "but you need to learn how to control yourself. You're too hot headed and unstable, and you lose your temper way too easily." Instead of berating, my voice was uncommonly gentle, at least uncommon when it came to talking to Paul. "You need to learn to control yourself before you end up hurting someone innocent or, God forbid, Rachel."

His eyes once more fell to the ground, this time to hide the tears gathering in the corners as the simple thought of hurting his Imprint tore a hole in his chest. When he spoke, his voice was thick with emotion and cracked hoarsely, "I'm sorry."

It was barely whispered but I heard it clear as day. I gave a very small smile and nodded, "I know."

"Will you...will you help me?" I could tell it was hard for him to ask me for help but, in all honesty, I never respected Paul more than in that moment. He was putting aside his own dislike in order to help better himself.

I nodded. "I will." Turning away from the wolf-man, I instead focused my attention to Sam, who was standing a few yards away, lash in hand, looking at Paul proudly. Our eyes met, and he tipped his head in thanks for giving Paul the wake-up call he so desperately needed. "I don't think that's needed, Sam," I said, nodding toward the lash.

The pack and the Elders looked at me with surprise, as if they didn't expect those words from my mouth and, truthfully, I didn't either. But I was oddly satisfied with Paul's remorse. Yes, a part of me still wanted to revel in watching the lash fly, cleaving patterns in the flesh of his back as his blood wet the sand, but I couldn't bring myself to allow it.

And it had nothing to do with the pleading golden eyes of a little pixie vampire. Nope, no Siree!

"Bella," Billy began, but I cut him off with a wave of my hand.

"I've been on the reviewing end of a lash, Billy, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, no matter how fast they heal. Paul knows the gravity of his actions, and I believe that his own conscience will cut him worse than any whip will. But know this," I said, addressing the law-breaker now, my voice cold and hard, "attempt another attack on my mate, and I _will _kill you."

"I won't," Paul said earnestly, "I swear." His eyes, when they met mine, were sincere and grateful, and I nodded solemnly.

"I believe we are done here?" I questioned, turning toward Billy. The elder nodded, turning toward the pack.

"You are free to go, but go with a warning. Harm done to another's Imprint will not be tolerated, and neither will threaten the peace between the Tribe and the Cullens. Heed Isabella's words. She has lived much longer than any of us and is far wiser."

With that, the Council head gave a nod and the wolves dispersed. The Elders stood as well, while Jacob jogged around the fire to assist his father. Jared trotted into the woods, no doubt to take the next patrol shift and Paul, surprisingly, didn't move from his place in front of me. Sam approached his friend, laying a heavy hand on his shoulder and giving him an approving nod before he, too, turned toward the trees and disappeared into its shadows.

"Bella," Paul began softly, "I...Thanks. I know I don't deserve what you did for me, but thanks."

"Don't mention it. I won't say it's not your fault, because you really do need to get a hold of your temper, but I will help you...just as I helped Sam and Jared. Believe me when I say, I know what you're dealing with. I was a hot-head just like you when I first shifted, but I had to learn to grow up and control myself, and so do you."

He nodded, holding out one hand in a peace offering. I clasped it with my own, our hands grasping one another's forearms. "I look forward to it. I-I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I ever hurt Rachel."

"I'll see you after school Monday afternoon, then."

Surprise colored his dark features and tinted his voice, "That soon?"

I smirked. "No. I believe you owe an apology to the Cullen Coven and Monday after school is as good a place to start as any."

He grimaced slightly, but nodded. "Alright. Monday then."

With a glance toward the dispersing Elders, he turned and trotted down the beach. I watched him go for a moment before looking toward Sue, who lingered behind, a smirk in place and an eyebrow raised.

I groaned, "Alright. Go ahead. I know you're just dying to say it."

Her smirk widened. "I wasn't going to say a thing, Isabella Swan."

"Suuuuure you weren't," I said with a roll of my eyes.

Sue laughed, a rich, throaty sound and pulled me into a strong embrace. "I really wasn't...other than I'm happy for you...Well, that and 'talk about the irony', but I'll let you slide with that one."

"God, you sound just like Jake and Charlie. 'It's sooo ironic, let's laugh at the Hunter than Imprinted on a leech! Hardy har har!' Yeah, love you guys too." Sue chuckled, pulling back to sway me playfully on the shoulder. "Just wait until Jake Imprints. You just wait. I'm gonna point and laugh at her. Point and laugh," I grumbled with a scowl.

"No, you won't. You'll be the supportive, loving best friend you are," my friend pointed out.

"Fine," I huffed, "I probably will, but that's not the point."

Sue smiled a motherly smile. "I can't wait to meet her, sweetheart."

I smiled back, giving Sue another swift, fond hug. "Thank you, Sue. I can't wait for you to meet her either. She's...amazing."

The Elder studied me knowingly for a moment. "I'm sure she is, Bella. Now, I believe there is someone else you have to talk to before you go into the mountains?"

My heart sank, the joy I felt when thinking of Alice melting away. "Do you know where she is?"

Sue nodded. "She's at the house. Seth is spending the night at Collin's, so she should be alone. I'll dilly dally for a bit, maybe head over to Billy's and give you two a chance to talk." She must have recognized my crest-fallen expression, because she placed a soft hand on my forearm. "Just explain it to her, Bella. She'll understand. Besides, she knew it would happen one day...she just expected herself to be the one that Imprinted, not you. That's why she tried not to get so...invested. She didn't want to do to you what Sam did to her."

Instead of making me feel better, Sue's words just made me feel worse. "But Instead, I did to her what Sam did to her, which is even worse."

"No, Bella. She knew you two wouldn't last. She knew it last year when you first started seeing one another, she knew when you left for Scotland, and she knew when you came back. She's been preparing herself for it."

"Doesn't make it any better."

"No," Sue smiled sadly, "It doesn't...but she's strong. She'll get through it. Just be there for her, even if it is only as a friend. You two started out that way, so just go back to the beginning."

Right. Easier said than done.

**X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X**

"Leah?" I called as I entered the house, searching the immediate proximity. The buzz of the TV met my ears as well as the wolf's racing heartbeat and I automatically steered myself in the direction it was coming from, walking into the living room to spot Leah sprawled out on the couch, a beer in one hand and the remote in the other.

Talk about channeling your inner Charlie, right?

Heaving a soft sigh, I padded lightly across the distance to the couch, taking the only empty spot on the end near her feet. "You got one of those for me?" I asked with attempted casualty, pointing to the beer in her hand.

She didn't answer, her eyes remained riveted on the screen. My shoulder slumped, but I attempted again, "We missed you at the bonfire." _I missed you at the bonfire. _Still nothing. Sighing again, I leaned back against the plush cushions. "Come on, Lee. Give me something here."

When still no answer was forthcoming, I gave up and turned toward the television as well. I don't know exactly what I was hoping for, but this wasn't it. I wanted her to yell at me, scream at me and curse my name. This...non reaction worried me. She hadn't been like this after Sam had imprinted on Emily. She had been on fire, full of rightouse passion and emotion. This Leah was...empty.

Many minutes passed in complete silence on our part, me just sitting there starring at the TV - which was playing an old episode of Friends - stupidly and her doing the same while occasionally taking a sip from her beer. It was only after the end credits rolled that she spoke, her voice dead and devoid of any emotion.

"You told me you couldn't imprint."

I sighed softly. "I didn't think I would, Lee."

"But you did. On a fuckin' leech, nonetheless," she spat. At least she was showing some emotion.

"Watch what you say about her," I hissed, bearing my elongated and sharpened teeth. When I realized my slip in control, I took a deep breath and reigned in my emotions. "Yeah, Leah, I did. I didn't choose to. It just happened, and I couldn't help it any more than you can help what the weather is like."

She was silent, taking another long draught from her beer bottle. I sighed, wiping my face with one hand. "Look, I know you're upset with me, and I can't blame you. But you should know by now that I wouldn't do anything to purposely hurt you. I won't be sorry for what happened, but I am sorry that I hurt you."

"You didn't," she snapped, turning to glare at me. Ah, there was the fire I knew so well. I couldn't help but smile, and it only made her angrier. Angry I could deal with. "What the fuck are you smiling at?" She hissed angrily.

I smiled wider, "There's the Leah I know."

"You don't know me." She leapt from the couch, hovering over me in a threatening manner, but I was anything but. Leah was an imposing figure for a woman, I would give her that, and if I were human, I might be afraid of her, but I wasn't.

"I know you better than you know yourself, Leah. I _was _you, once upon a time," I replied calmly, raising an eyebrow at her aggression but otherwise remaining unphased.

"I'm nothing like you!" She screeched, pointing an accusing finger at me. "I'm _nothing _like you! I hate you! I hate you and I hate Sam and I hate those fucking leeches!"

"Why, Leah?" I asked in the same monotone voice, only provoking her further. Inwardly, I congratulated myself for shrugging off her insult to my mate.

"Because! They took you from me! They took you and they took Sam, and I hate them for it!" Her voice cracked, her eyes glossing over as she fought against the raw emotion welling inside of her. I stood slowly, arms hanging uselessly by my side, watching her closely and waiting for my moment. "I hate them! They've taken everything from me! Sam, Emily, You...Why? Why does everyone I love have to abandon me, huh? Why can't I just have someone to myself? Why do I have to watch everyone I love Imprint and be happy while I'm stuck being alone? I'm so sick of it, I'm so sick of everything."

Tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Her voice grew hoarse and shaky and her brown eyes boarded into mine, pleading me. "Who said you were alone?"

"I am," she whispered dejectedly.

"No, Leah, you're not. I love you." I took a step closer, holding out my hands in a gesture of surrender.

A broken sob broke free from her throat, and she roughly pushed me away from her, but I stood solid. "No! You don't get to say that to me!"

"I love you, Leah." Her fists balled as the tears flowed freely now, and she lifted her hands to pound against my chest. I winced slightly but accepted her blows, knowing the bruises they caused would be gone in a few short hours.

"Stop!"

"I love you." Another blow landed and her knees began to weaken.

"NO! Shut up!" She accentuated each word with another punch, but I could feel her strength weakening.

"I love you." As her legs gave way and she collapsed, my arms wrapped around her and we sank to the carpet, her attacks weakening with each one she landed as the will to fight gave way to her sorrow. She was sobbing full-out now, taking gasping breaths to make up for each wail she gave.

"Please...please stop," she whimpered against my chest. I gently stroked her hair, rocking our bodies back and forth, murmuring soft 'I love you's into her hair.

Gradually, her crying calmed but I never stopped whispering my assurances into her ear or stroking her hair. Her hands fisted in my baggy shirt, holding me to her. The fabric, wet from her tears, clung to my skin and her occasional sniffing drowned out the droning of the TV. Though her breathing was even, it was slightly raspy and if it weren't for the irregular pattern of her heart, I would think she was asleep.

"I wish," she whispered before hesitating. I pulled her closer to me, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"What do you wish," I encouraged.

"I just wish everything was different...that there were no vampires or werewolves or any of that shit. I wish I could go back to the way I was before all this happened. I was happy and everything was perfect and there was no drama. I wish we could just be normal people living normal lives."

I chuckled softly, "In a perfect world, Lee. But, do you wanna know something?" She lifted her head from my chest, her swollen red eyes meeting my own and slowly nodded. "I wouldn't change anything." Her brow scrunched in confusion and I gently ran the pad of my thumb across her cheek. "If I wasn't who I am, I would have never met your mother or Billy or Seth. I wouldn't have my family. I wouldn't have the Pack in my life. I wouldn't have Jake in my life, or you either, and none of you would have me in yours. I know things are hard right now, Lee, but I wouldn't change any of it because having you in my life has made me a better person. You're so strong and brave and confident. Anyone would be lucky to be with you."

She scoffed disbelievingly. "Guess you and Sam have shitty luck then, huh?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "Terribly."

She scoffed. "Yeah, you're the unlucky one."

I pulled away slightly, lifting her chin so that her eyes met mine. "This isn't about luck, Leah. Besides, if you really want to have the luck argument, I haven't necessarily been the luckiest person on the face of the earth. My family was slaughtered before my eyes. The person I loved the most imprinted on another after being together for over fifty years. I don't even want to think about what that fucking bastard did-" My eyes squeezed shut, forcing the memories just speaking those words brought up in me. When I quelled the thoughts successfully enough, I forced myself to continue. "But that's not the point. I have Charlie and Leland. I have the pack, and Sue and Jake and you...Yeah, I've had some pretty shitty luck, but at least I'm not letting all the fucked up shit that happened to me years ago fuck up my life now. I have so many things to be grateful for, and so do you.

"Besides, Leah, who were we trying to kid, huh? We both knew when we started sleeping together that it wouldn't last. At best, we were just friends with benefits. Sooner or later, it would have ended because, even though I thought I couldn't Imprint, you can. I knew you would eventually, and where would that leave us?"

She looked away, avoiding my eyes as the truth of my words bitch slapped her. She might want to blame everything on bad luck or the Cullens, but we both knew the truth of the matter. The 'us' was never meant to last. We were just a temporary comfort for one another, a temporary cure to loneliness.

"Leah," I said, my voice softening, "you know I love you. And you know I would never deliberately hurt you...but we were doomed from the start."

"I know," she whispered, "you think I didn't know that? I knew we would never last...either I would Imprint or you would leave or find someone else...whatever the reason, I knew. And, as much as I didn't want to hurt you or I didn't want to get hurt, I didn't want to stop. You..." She paused, turning to face me and taking my hand in her own, "you took away the pain and the sadness that Sam left behind. You filled up the hole he left in me. God, I never wanted to fall for you, Belle, and I didn't expect to, but after what happened with Sam, you were there for me in a way no one else was, and I don't just mean the sex. You knew what I was going through, you understood."

"I'm still here for you, Lee. That will never change," I reassured her, squeezing her hand to enforce my promise.

She smiled softly. "I know."

We spent the next few minutes in silence, gradually shifting until my arm was slung across her shoulders and her head was resting mine. I squeezed her closer to me, resting my chin on the top of her head. "I love you Lee, you know that, right?"

"I know, Bella. That's what makes this the hardest."

"You'll find your own Imprint, eventually."

"I hope so. It'll make things easier. At least then I won't be lonely anymore." I could tell she tried to sound hopeful, but I could see through her front easily.

"You'll never be lonely as long as I live, Lee. You might be a little horny, yeah, but lonely? Not a chance."

She chuckled. "Yeah, well, it's the horny part that sucks the most."

I returned her amusement with a chuckle of my own, "Please. I've managed to live well enough without any for years before you."

Silence once more fell, only broken by the buzzing of the voices coming from the television. My thumb idly stroked the exposed skin of Leah's shoulder. Leah softly sighed, burying her face in the crook of my neck.

"I want to be happy for you, Bella, but I can't. And it's not because you imprinted, it's because you imprinted on one of them. If it was anyone else, it might be easier, but..."

"I know, Lee," I cut her off. "I'm not asking you to just accept it outright. One day, I hope you'll be able to."

"How did you do it?" She asked me after a few moments of solid silence. I adjusted my grasp slightly, pressing my cheek to the crown of her head.

"It was very hard, at first. I needed her to breathe and, though I know it killed her to do what she did to me, I hated her. I couldn't even bear to talk to her or look at her...I just ran away. I could barely function, but I managed. She tried to track me at first. I avoided her, quite successfully for many years...until I got pregnant with Charlie." I paused for a second, giving a sharp bark of laughter. "I was so fucking terrified, and I didn't have anyone else. As much as it killed me to be anywhere near her, I couldn't go through my pregnancy alone. So, I sought her out. When I finally found her, I remember being so scared of how she would react. I remember knocking on her door and waiting and waiting and waiting...when she finally answered, we just looked at each other for what seemed like forever and then she was hugging me so hard I couldn't breathe.

"It was hard, for a while, being around them and seeing them so happy. But once I got to know her Imprint, it was easier. I could see how well they fit together, how perfect they were together. I still loved her, God knows I still do, but I accepted it because she was happy. At first, I didn't care if she was happy or not. I just wanted her to be with me...I was selfish and wanted her to myself. But the more I saw them together, when I saw how happy she was. I realized that her being happy was all I ever wanted, and Dona made her much happier than I ever could. After that, it got a hell of a lot easier and now, I know that we were never meant to be together. Yeah, I loved her with every piece of my beating heart but being around Alice...it's like a part of me I never knew was missing was returned to me. She'll always be a very big part of me, but I've learned to love her in a different way, and so will you."

Leah sighed wistfully. I patted her head comfortingly. She yawned widely, nuzzling closer to me and fighting uselessly against sleep. I smiled fondly, rubbing her back soothingly in an effort to coach her to sleep. No doubt she was emotionally exhausted, as was I.

"It gets easier, I promise." I murmured reassuringly.

"I hope so," she whispered against my shoulder, her voice showing her exhaustion. I chuckled softly, watching her eyelids slowly droop.

"Go to sleep, Lee." I placed a soft kiss on the top of her head and, within minutes, she was snoring gently and out like a light. Standing fluidly, I hefted her easily in my arms and moved quickly toward the stairs, climbing them with little effort. Her bedroom door was already open, making my job easier and I gently placed her bed. The covers were pulled around her shoulders and she snuggled deeper into the warm cocoon the heat from her body created. I couldn't help but smile, placing a soft kiss on her forehead before quietly sneaking out of the room and back down the stairs.

**Authors Notes;**

* 1. Okay, so I wanted to explain my version of imprinting a little bit more. Personally, I don't think Stephanie Meyer put enough emphasis on Shifter/Imprint relationships, so I'm kinda adding my own twist to it. Basically, after a shifter imprints, he or she quite literally needs their Imprint to live. If they were to die, so would the shifter. Without their Imprint, they simply lack the _desire _to live and basically waste away. It would be like taking away half of your soul...you just don't want to _breathe _anymore. Think of Edward's reaction to Bella's 'cliff diving' incident in New Moon. When he thought Bella was dead, he couldn't live in a world where she wasn't alive, so he was willing to force the Volturi to kill him. My version of Imprinting is the same way.


End file.
